


TARDIS: Time and Relative Dimension in Storybrooke

by Queenbee3480



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But its ok! I promise!, Character Death, Crossover, F/F, Humor, Kind of Angsty. But not really, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:55:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26642581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queenbee3480/pseuds/Queenbee3480
Summary: Hook is dead. Emma is missing. And for some reason, the future is all messed up.Enter the only pair in all of time and space that has a chance of figuring this all out.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 19
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since both universes involved in this fic like to play fast and loose with timelines, they may have to get a bit murky at times in this story as well. I will try my best to keep things as clear as possible.
> 
> For the purpose of this chapter, the foundation of the story begins 3 years after the events of 7X22, but we join the story 4 years after that, in the year 2025.
> 
> To establish the story, this first chapter had to be a bit grim. But that is going to change, as this is going to primarily try to be a humor fic.

Regina wasn’t entirely sure how it happened that she had ended up raising another one of Emma Swan’s children. At first, it had seemed temporary. When Hook disappeared 4 years earlier, Emma had asked Regina to watch Hope while she went and looked for him. Weeks turned into months until one day nearly a year after she left, a letter had arrived.

_Dear Regina,_

_I’ve spent the last 4 months trying to figure out how to tell you this, but it is not going to get any easier, so here it is._

_Hook is dead. I can’t go into detail, but he’s gone. I’ve tried to find a way around this, but I’m not coming back. Please understand that I want to, more than anything. I just can’t. There’s too much at stake._

_I’ve thought about this a lot and I want you to raise Hope. I’m sure that my parents would do a great job, but I’ve seen how well you raised Henry and there isn’t anyone else I trust with this._

_Please don’t try to find me. You won’t be able to anyway, and it’s too dangerous. I know you are going to want to come in, magic blazing, but this is too important. Please, trust that I am safe and that I love you all so much. I’m relinquishing my parental rights so that you can adopt Hope and I am not going to come back for her. I have no right to ask this of you, but please tell her about me and how much I love her. If I had any choice at all, I would come back._

_Take care of our family, and please, please, take care of yourself._

_Yours,_

_Emma_

Regina had read the letter countless times, looking for clues. At first, she had ignored Emma’s instructions and sent out search parties. The best trackers and investigators every fairy tale realm had to offer were sent out. Spies were placed in strategic locations, armies were sent to potential locations, but it had all been for naught.

When all that failed, Regina had placed Hope in Henry and Jacinda’s care and went out to search for Emma herself. For months, she scoured every place she could think of, followed every lead, made deals with forces that made the Dark One look like a circus clown in comparison, but nothing worked.

One day a message had arrived by bird. It was a warning from Snow White that the kingdom was in trouble. In Regina’s absence, outlying groups of rebels were trying to take power before she returned. The economy was in trouble and crime was on the rise. Simply put, Snow wrote, the United Fairy Tale Realms needed her back. 18 months after the letter had arrived, Regina finally accepted that Emma had been right all along. The time had come for her to give up the search and return home.

That night she had cried for the first time since receiving the letter. Snow and David had found her outside Emma’s old house clutching it in her hands and sobbing helplessly. They brought her to their castle and put her to bed. For the first time in her life, Regina Mills had the option to completely fall apart and let someone else take care of her.

Snow and David had shielded her from the prying eyes of everyone in the United Realms who were trying to decide about their Queen’s ability to rule under the circumstances. She would see no one and the rumors that she was broken beyond repair were starting to grow commonplace. Snow and David were picking up the daily work of running the realms and Henry had stepped in as the public face of the royal family, but the people were rightfully upset that the leader they had elected had not been seen in months.

And so it went until one day Regina stood up, returned to her castle and resumed her role without a word of explanation. Within weeks, she had brokered trade deals that boosted the economy, formed alliances with leaders of the different realms that solidified her authority and sent her private guard out to help local law enforcement in clearing up the crime.

The Queen was back. She was far from evil, but she was clearly not to be trifled with.

18 months passed since her return, and her absence was firmly in the past. She had thrown herself into ruling the realms and raising Hope. The Dark Times, as they became known, were fading in the people’s memories.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_Fall, 2025_ **

“Mom!”

Regina put her brush down so that she could hug her daughter. “Hello, Darling.”

“Brush mine too, Mom! I want to be a queen too!” 7 year old Hope Swan-Mills was a little Diva after Regina’s own heart. She picked up the brush and began stroking the girl’s long blonde locks with it.

“Tell me about my Mama,” she begged, and it only caused a pang in Regina’s heart instead of a knife. Time, if not able to heal the wound, at least had managed to dull it to something manageable.

“Once upon a time,” she began. “There was a little boy who went looking for his mom. He found her in Boston, and she was the prettiest woman he had ever seen.”

“Not as pretty as you, Mom.”

Regina gave her daughter’s hair a gentle tug. “Ow!”

“What have I told you about interrupting? Besides, this woman was so beautiful, not because of how she looked, but because of how she loved. If she loved you, she would do anything in the world for you.” In the mirror, Regina watched her little girl’s eyes grow bigger. No matter how many times she told this story, Hope always acted as though it was the first time she heard it.

“She was the Savior, wasn’t she Mom?”

“She was, indeed, my little princess. She came to Storybrooke and saved the whole town from the clutches of an Evil Queen that had cursed it.”

“You’re not evil, though!”

“No, baby, I’m not. And that is because of your Mama, as well. She saved me, just as she saved everyone else. And you know what else?”

“What?”

Regina put the finishing touches on her daughter’s hair and turned her around to look at her. This child, more than anything else, had healed her heart and made her feel alive again.

“You look just like her, my little princess. You have her eyes and her smile. But most importantly, you have her heart. Never forget how much she loves you.”

No matter what, every time Regina spoke to Hope about Emma, she finished the same way. “Never forget how much she loves you.” Once, Hope had asked her how she knew, marking the first and only time she ever saw her mother cry.

_“I know because she stays away to keep you safe. I don’t know where she is or why she can’t come home. I can just feel how much she loves you.”_

_“I miss her, Mommy.”_

_“I know, baby girl. I miss her too.”_

The door flung open and Leroy ran in, followed by 3 of his fellow dwarves

“It’s coming! It’s coming!”

Snarling, Regina snapped her head around and blasted a fireball his way, missing him by mere inches. Leroy didn’t even blink. These were the moments that made her long for the days people quaked in fear at her presence.

“Go on back to your room, sweetie. I’ll send for you when it’s lunchtime.”

With Hope safely out of the room, she turned on Leroy again.

“I suppose if you are going to interrupt my time with my daughter, I must ask you what is coming that has you so worked up.”

“It’s a box, Sis-uh, I mean, Your Majesty.”

“A box,” she repeated dryly. “Well, then by all means, let us send out the cavalry.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Happy interjected. “It’s flying,” he continued, at last piquing Regina’s interest.

“Walk with me,” she commanded. “Show me where it is.” Her voice was calm, as it usually was, but her quick pace revealed her anxiety at the development.

“Tell me more,” Regina said as they walked towards the Toll Bridge where the dwarves had last seen the box.

“It was a blue box, it was kind of spinning in the air," Doc tried to explain, and Regina stopped short.

“Did it look like a phone booth?”

Doc furrowed his brow in confusion. “How did you-“

“Just answer the question. Did it look like a phone booth?”

“Y-yes. Well, maybe a bit bigger”

Regina gasped. In her mind, she remembered a lesson given to her by Rumpelstiltskin in another lifetime.

_“This person travels the stars and has the ability to go anywhere in time. To my knowledge, they have never been to the Enchanted Forest, though. ”_

_“But I thought time travel was impossible.”_

_Rumple cackled. “It is dearie. For humans, no matter how great the mage.” The statement had been true since the beginning of time, until the day Zelena kidnapped a baby to try and gain a past she thought she was entitled to. “Even I cannot do it.”_

_“So, this person, he’s not human.”_

_“No, dearie. Nor is he a he,” he said, laughing delightedly at Regina’s confusion. He showed her the picture of the blue police box, as well as 13 different photos, each with a different face._

_“Which one is this person?”_

_“The Doctor is all of them. Each time they die, they come back with a different face. The Doctor is even older than I am.”_

_“Why are you showing me this?”_

_“One day, when you enact my curse, you will be in the Land Without Magic. This is a land frequented often by the Doctor. This is what you need to know: The Doctor can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If your paths should ever cross, know there is no way to trick them or outsmart them. Your best bet is to leave them be and hope they do the same.”_

For decades after, Regina had forgotten all about the Doctor. When Emma had disappeared, Regina thought about trying to get in contact with them for help but gave up when she realized she had no idea how to do that. Despite herself, she allowed a touch of hope to grow in her chest.


	2. Chapter 2

“Doctor, you promised to take me to the Medusa Cascade. This is not the Medusa Cascade.”

The grunt she received in return irritated Donna to distraction. “Oi! Doctor! I’m talking to you.”

The Doctor blinked, as though noticing Donna standing there for the first time. “Sorry? What?”

“ _It would be so easy to punch that skinny bit of nothing right in the face,”_ Donna thought. She would do just that if he continued to ignore her while she was speaking. Snapping her fingers in his face, she spoke again.

“Pay attention! What happened to the Medusa Cascade?”

“Well, I’m not sure, exactly. Still, this is pretty spot for a vacation, don’t you think?”

 _“Seriously, this man in the most exasperating creature on any planet.”_ Donna rolled her eyes and looked around. “No. I don’t think. Where are we, anyway?”

There was again no response as the Doctor wandered around examining his surroundings, waving his sonic screwdriver around vaguely. “Interesting,” he mumbled.” “Very inter-yes!”

“Yes what? Doctor! Talk to me!”

Again, her presence seemed to startle him.

“Donna? What are you doing off the TARDIS? I told you to stay in the TARDIS until I figured out where we were.”

“And I told you, I don’t stay anywhere I don’t want to. Now tell me where we are and when we can leave to go the Medusa Cascade.”

“Well, it appears we are in Storybrooke.”

“Storybrooke? Is that a planet?”

The Doctor wheezed in laughter at the idea. “No. Storybrooke is a town in America. In Maine to be precise.”

“Well, why are we on Earth? We’re supposed to be at the Med-“

“Yes, yes. The Medusa Cascade. I heard you. There’s something wrong here, though. Let me figure out what is going on and then we can go.” Without waiting for a response, the Doctor resumed his examination. He frowned suddenly at a reading the screwdriver gave him and ran back into the TARDIS.

“No, no no, no. This is all wrong.” He looked up at Donna who had followed him back inside. “It’s all wrong, don’t you see? The First Great and Bountiful Human Empire is gone.”

“The what?”

“Don’t you get it? There has always been a direct timeline between Storybrooke in the 21st century and the First Great and Bountiful Human Empire, but now it’s gone. The timeline has splintered and it’s going to destroy everything.” Frantically, he ran around the control room of the TARDIS looking for signs that he was wrong. “This can’t be happening. What year is it? Why did the TARDIS bring us to this time?”

“Uh-Doctor?” Donna pointed outside the open TARDIS door. A brunette woman and a group of short men were approaching. His face lit up and he ran outside.

“Your Majesty!” he shouted.

Regina paused, thoroughly confused. She recognized the face from the photos Rumple had shown her, although the identity of the woman with him was still a mystery. She had no idea, however, how he knew who she was. Deciding to play dumb for the moment, she waited for him to catch up to her.

“I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure, Sir-?

“Doctor. I’m the Doctor, Your Majesty.”

“I see. And you are?” she asked, turning her attention to Donna.

“Donna Noble. Best temp in Cheswick.”

The Doctor grabbed Donna’s arm. “Bow!” he hissed. “We’re in the presence of Royalty.”

“I didn’t bow when we met Queen Elizabeth. I’m not going to now. Who are you?” she demanded of Regina, and the Doctor winced.

“Donna, this is Her Majesty Queen Regina. The Good Queen of the UFTR.”

“The Good Queen? Who came up with that name? Cinderella? And what the hell is the UFTR?”

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but Regina held her hand up. “Actually, it was Snow White. And don’t worry about bowing. I enjoy a woman who understands her worth. You actually remind of someone.”

“Yes!” said the Doctor. “Where is your beautiful wife?”

“My beautiful what?”

“Your wife. Blond hair, sassy smile, smart as a whip and twice as strong.”

Regina’s eyes widened. “Emma?” she asked. “Do you mean Emma Swan?”

Looking suddenly nervous, the Doctor backed up some. Regina followed as he inched his way back to his police box.

“What year is it?”

“2025.”

The news hit him like a blow, but the best course of action at that point was uncertain. If he explained the situation, it could easily make things worse. On the other hand, if he didn’t explain what was happening, he was pretty sure she wouldn’t fill in any blanks that she might be able to. In the distant future, people on faraway worlds still spoke of the Good Queen with reverence in their voices and her ability to hold a grudge bordered on legendary.

“Can I speak with Miss Swan?” he asked.

The pain hit that hit Regina put her instantly on the defensive, but she knew she had to cooperate if she was going to ask him for his help. When she spoke, the hesitation was obvious.

“She’s….missing.”

Realization dawned on the Doctor. Kicking himself for being so dense, he glanced down at the device in his hand.

“2021, right?”

“How did you-?”

“Weird, isn’t it?” Donna interjected. “Don’t worry, you get used to it after a while.”

“Please tell me the little girl is still here.”

The fireball formed in Regina’s hand before she even had a chance to think about it. The Doctor grabbed Donna and hit the deck, but he needn’t have worried. Doc placed his hand on Regina’s arm, and she calmed down, though the fireball remained in her hand.

“What do you know about my daughter?” she hissed.

Donna’s eyes widened. “Did you see that?”

“Shhh,” The Doctor hushed. “Not now.”

Eyes suddenly narrow, Donna turned towards the Queen. “Now look here, Your _Majesty”_. The sarcasm left no room for debate in her intent, but the Doctor slapped a hand over her mouth.

“Perhaps you should check on your daughter, Your Majesty. I am not sure what is going on here, but we need to ensure the child’s safety before we talk further. When you get back, we will talk more.”

Regina nodded, curling her fingers inward to extinguish the fireball. “Do I need to leave a guard here?”

“They wouldn’t be able to stop me if I left. But don’t worry. I’ll be here.”

“Fair enough. Oh and, Doctor?”

“Yes?”

“Do not attempt to silence a woman in my presence again.”

The Doctor’s lips twitched. He really really liked this woman. “Apologies, Your Majesty. It won’t happen again.”

Regina nodded and turned to go, motioning the dwarves to follow her. It went against everything in her nature to trust a stranger like that, but Rumple’s warning about the Doctor was still at the front of her mind and at least for right now, she did not want to make an enemy of him.

“Are we all just going to ignore the fact that she created fire out of thin air?” No one answered Donna and she shrugged. “Apparently, we are. Ok.”

As soon as the Queen was out of sight, the Doctor turned to Donna. “We have exactly 7 minutes before she gets back from checking on her daughter. She wants to spy on me, but right now she doesn’t dare, so this is the best chance I will have to fill you in. Listen closely because once she gets back, I need to stop explaining.”

“How come?”

“Do you remember what River said in the library about spoilers? I inadvertently gave the Queen too much information when I asked about her wife. Any more, and we may never get the timeline back to where it needs to be.”

Donna nodded and the Doctor began his tale.

“For most of the beginning of human history, humans were primitive and well behind other species in knowledge. In their infancy, they dismissed the possibility of worlds that existed beyond not only their own planet, but their own reality.

“As other realms grew, knowledge of their existence began to seep into Earth lore. These incidents were written down as legends or stories and people told tale of them in every medium available to them.”

“When you say stories, you mean-?”

“I mean exactly that. Stories you have been told your whole life. Fairy tales, mythology, fantasy. All of them exist on some plane of reality or another. And so it was until the beginning of the 21st century.

“In the Earth year of 1983, at least according to one calendar, an Evil Queen from a realm known as the Enchanted Forest cast a terrible curse and brought an assortment of people from her land to this one, to Storybrooke.”

Donna burst out laughing. “Really, Doctor? Fairy tale characters? Here? Don’t you think that’s a bit absurd?”

The Doctor frowned. “Why must your mind remain so closed? Is it more absurd than a swarm of invisible creatures that hide in an abandoned library waiting for human flesh to devour?”

Point made.

“For 28 years the curse kept them in Storybrooke, frozen in time until it was broken by one known as the Savior. Over the course of the next few years the Queen regretted her actions and made amends to those she hurt. She discovered other realms full of characters known to humans only as stories and with her magic, brought them all here, to Storybrooke. She united them and was elected their queen.”

“Regina?”

The Doctor nodded.

“So then UFTR is-?”

“United Fairy Tale Realms. Now listen closely, because here is where things get murky.

“In the year 2021, Regina was supposed to have married the love of her life, the biological mother of her son Prince Henry and the Savior that broke her curse. Her name is Emma Swan. In 2023, Emma and Regina decided it is time to introduce the rest of the world to magic and Emma was sent out to the world as an emissary of sorts to represent the UFTR on a global stage.

“By this time, in 2025, the UFTR should have grown far beyond Storybrooke. Magic should have been introduced and studied. It is this introduction to magic that lifts humanity from its status as a primitive race to a universal culture of legendary proportions. They expand through the stars, sharing their knowledge with other civilizations and learning as they go. In less than 200 years from now, a mere drop in the bucket of universal existence, humans have spread throughout the galaxies, in what is known as the 1st Great and Bountiful Human Empire. It is the first of 4 such ages of prosperity, not just for humans, but for nearly every species they encounter.”

Donna shook her head. There was a lot she could wrap her mind around, but magic? The Doctor caught her frown, and more importantly her silence. Donna was never silent.

“Donna, magic is nothing more than the transference of energy. It is not known in this world, but it is really just another form of science utilizing elements that exist in other realms. At this point in history, it was believed that magic could only be performed by certain people, but Regina and Emma are supposed to figure out that while some people have a predisposition to it, it can be taught to anyone. Similar to having an aptitude towards music or art. Over the course of the next 50 years, magic will be studied at universities all over the globe and eventually much further away.”

“How do we set things right?”

“Well, it appears obvious that without Emma to support her, the Queen does not have the capacity to accomplish all she is intended to do. It seems fairly obvious that we have to find Emma.”

“Agreed.” The voice came from behind them and the Doctor cursed when he saw that Regina had returned.

“Someone took her. I’m sure of it.” She handed the Doctor Emma’s letter and made eye contact with Donna.

“I can’t believe you watched me create fire out of nothing and you’re questioning the existence of magic.”

“Well, I can’t believe that you are a high and mighty Queen and you came out here with a bunch of leprechauns for protection.”

Regina snorted. “Dwarves.”

“You must have made many enemies in your time as Evil Queen. Maybe one of them took her.”

The Doctor held his breath, certain they were about to feel the effects of the Queen’s legendary temper, but she merely shook her head. “I wish that were true. I searched far and wide for her, but she is no where on this Earth that I could find.”

“Well, then, there is only one explanation and after reading this letter, I am sure of it. She isn’t on this Earth.”

Donna smirked at the Queen, but Regina just smiled calmly in response.

“If you’re waiting for shock and awe, Miss Noble, you’ll be waiting for a long time. I’ve long suspected Emma was not on Earth. And unlike you, I don’t dismiss ideas just because they contradict what I believe I know about the world.”

Donna scowled. “Listen,” she began, but the Doctor cut her off.

“If Emma was taken by someone from another planet, then it is not one of your enemies. It is likely one of mine. I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I’m so, so, sorry.”

Regina sniffed and turned her back on Donna completely. “I don’t need an apology, Doctor. I need my-“ _Her what, exactly? she wondered._

“I need Emma back.”

“I understand, Your Majesty, but we have a much bigger problem now.”

“What’s that?”

“Knowing how your timeline is supposed to play out is extremely dangerous. I don’t know how much of my conversation with Donna you heard, but it is possible we may have inadvertently destroyed the chance to right the course of human history altogether.”

Regina nodded. She didn’t fully understand the implications of what the Doctor was saying, but she understood that if he was that worried about it, she probably should be too.

“I’ll make a deal with you, Doctor,” she said. “In my vault, I have the ingredients to make a forgetting potion. Help me find Emma and I swear to you, I will drink it when we come back and forget all of this.”

“You are going to have to convince Emma to drink it too,” the Doctor cautioned, and Regina laughed at him.

“Convincing Emma to do something isn’t always possible,” she said. “But you have my word that I will try.”

“Fair enough, Your Majesty. It’s a deal.”

“It’s Regina.”

The Doctor nodded. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. Besides, I get the feeling that one will never call me Your Majesty willingly.” She nodded in Donna’s direction.

“Not without laughing in your face, I won’t.”

“Yes, I guessed as much.”

“Ok, Regina. Let’s go back to your castle so you can make arrangements to leave. We depart tomorrow morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: What exactly did happen to Emma?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have known that using these two fandoms together would lead me into a mess of a chapter like this one. Here's the code.
> 
> Italics are flashbacks (even if said flashbacks take place in the future. Fucking time travel.)  
> Bold Italics is a dream world  
> Regular typeface is the current timeline, aka the year 2025.
> 
> Ugh. I hope it's not too confusing for you all.

**_“Good Morning, my love.”_ **

**_Emma smiled as she woke to see her beautiful wife by her side. Without fully opening her eyes, she leaned forward to meet Regina’s lips in a kiss._ **

**_“Good morning, Your Majesty,” she replied, and giggled as her wife poked her in the side in retribution for the teasing. Her giggles turned to squeals when Regina switched from poking to a full-on tickle attack._ **

**_“What have I told you about calling me that?”_ **

**_“Ok! Ok! I’m sorry! Please, stop.” Regina chuckled at the sound of Emma’s breathless laughter and dropped her hand._ **

**_Emma’s eyes opened at last and she rolled over on to her side to gather her wife in her arms. She could hear their daughter running down the hall towards the kitchen and she bent her head to kiss Regina on the forehead._ **

**_“Just wait until she goes to school,” she said. “I’ll show you the proper way to make someone suffer using your fingers.”_ **

**_The promise lay between them as they rose from bed to start the day. Hope needed to pack before getting ready for school as she was going to stay with her father for the weekend, there was a meeting with the state council members at 11, and they were expecting Henry, Jacinda and their 2 children for dinner that night. It was shaping up to be a busy day._ **

**_Emma watched as her incredibly sexy wife walked towards the bathroom, absently slipping a robe on. Regina liked to sleep in the nude, and she liked to pretend she didn’t notice Emma ogling her naked form every morning when they woke. It was gratifying to know she still had that effect on her wife even after 12 years of marriage._ **

**_Regina disappeared into the bathroom with a wink towards the blonde, deliberately giving her hips an extra little wiggle as she walked. Emma smiled to herself and flopped back down on the bed._ **

**_Her life was truly perfect._ **

The figure stared at Emma’s suspended body in despair. He had expected to see this, but it still hurt. His long coat billowed around him as he ran up to study her form closely, deciding on his next move. There did not appear to be any way to wake her, other than to use the gift he had been given.

_ Unnamed Planet, in the far distant future _

_“Take it.”_

_He didn’t argue. Arguing with the Doctor was a waste of time. He simply reached out his hand and took the bottle from his friend._

_“What is it?”_

_“Psychic pollen. I used it once to create a manifestation of my dark self.”_

_He frowned at the bottle. “What will it do?”_

_“I’m not entirely certain. It gave my dark self the ability to move between a dream world and reality. In theory, it should give you the same ability.”_

_“And it will still be….me? I won’t split, like you did?”_

_“You shouldn’t. I believe that I split because I have 2 hearts. You, for all your power, are human. It should just give you the ability to dream walk, without affecting your physical form.”_

_He studied the bottle more closely, suspicious and unsure of what he was actually holding. “I’m not really comfortable with the way you keep saying ‘should’, Doctor.”_

_“Neither am I, but I have never seen a human use it before. I wouldn’t give normally give this to you, I just don’t see another choice.”_

_“Why_ are _you giving it to me?”_

_The Doctor nodded approvingly. Apparently, this was the right question._

_“Listen closely. One day, you will need this because a friend will be trapped. It will be up to you to rescue them from their dream and you must do it. Do you understand? Everything depends on it.”_

_He nodded, placing the bottle in the breast pocket of his trench coat. “Anything else I should know? How will I know when to use it?”_

_“You will know. But this is important. I was only able to harvest enough for one use. You need to be sure you are using it at the correct time and on the correct person. Make sure your intentions are pure, that will add an extra layer of protection against any potential manifestation of darkness.”_

_He turned to leave, but the Doctor placed a hand on his wrist. “This is the most important part,” he warned. “The person you need to wake will not want to. The dream they will be caught in will be lovely and they will have known a great deal of pain in their reality. They will fight you, but you cannot force them to wake. It must be their choice; you must convince them to wake.”_

_The Doctor’s voice betrayed his anxiety and suddenly he could see how important this was. Once again, he turned to go, setting his vortex manipulator for his own time. As he began to fade out, he heard the Doctor’s voice one last time._

_“Do not fail at this, Jack.”_

Celestial Prison, 2025

Captain Jack Harkness stared at the figure in front of him. It was hard to believe that after nearly 4 years of searching, he had finally found her. Killian’s final words echoed in his mind.

_“Find her. Find her and protect her.”_

_Jack squeezed his hand. “I promise.”_

Mentally, he went through the Doctor’s instructions again.

Trapped in a dream? Check

The only one that could rescue her? Check

Pure intentions? Check

He pulled the bottle from his pocket and got ready to open it.

“Bottoms up,” he said out loud to no one.

Wait a second. Was he supposed to drink the contents? Spread them around? Sprinkle them on something? How could he have forgotten to ask the Doctor what he was supposed to do with the contents of the bottle?

Here goes nothing, he figured, opening the lid. The red pollen rose in the air, circling the room. It spun around until it reached him. He sneezed several times as the pollen tickled his nose, and instantly felt the spores enter his system.

He fell down, unconscious.

**_“Are you lost? Do you need help?”_ **

**_Jack opened his eyes and nearly lost his breath. “Emma,” he whispered._ **

**_She frowned in confusion. “Do we know each other?” Her voice sounded curious, rather than afraid, and her face was free of worry._ **

**_“Um, no.” He expected her to ask how he knew her name, but she just reached down to help him up. This woman was so different than the Emma that he knew. She was unguarded and her lack of suspicion was startling, given the woman he had come to know._ **

**_“May I ask you a strange question?”_ **

**_“This is Storybrooke. I get asked strange questions all the time.” Her dimples flashed at him, and despite himself, he could not help the tug of attraction._ **

**_‘Stop it!' he ordered himself. ‘This is Killian’s wife! Your friend! Snap out of it!’ He shook his head in an attempt to clear his brain._ **

**_“What year is it?”_ **

**_“It’s 2033.” She did not seem phased by the question at all. “Now it is my turn to ask you a question. What are you doing here in the capital of the UFTR? Which realm are you from?”_ **

**_Jack thought quickly. “Oz,” he replied, hoping she was not familiar enough with it to start asking questions._ **

**_“Oz!” she repeated in delight. “Let me bring you to see my sister in law! She’s from Oz, I’m sure she would love to see you!”_ **

**_“Your sister in law?”_ **

**_“Yep. My wife’s sister, Zelena. She was known as the Wicked Witch of the West there, but don’t worry. She’s reformed now. Mostly.”_ **

**_Jack struggled to keep up, knowing he needed to understand this dream quickly if he was going to pull Emma out of it._ **

**_“And who is your wife?” he asked._ **

**_“I’m married to the Good Queen Regina. Actually, let me take you to meet her first. Whatever problem brought you here, she will be able to help you."_ **

**_Although Jack had assumed Emma would be with Killian in this dream, he wasn’t entirely surprised. Killian had confided in him more than once that he suspected his wife had feelings for the queen._ **

**_“How did you know a problem brought me here?”_ **

**_“Well, someone once taught me how to recognize a desperate soul. And friend, you have desperation written all over your face. But hey, no judgement. Come one, let’s go.”_ **

**_Jack considered his possibilities. He wasn’t sure how long the pollen would last and he knew he had to move quickly because if he woke up before he convinced her to come along with him, he wouldn’t be able to get back in._ **

**_On the other hand, he wouldn’t be able to convince her of anything if he didn’t gain her trust, so it didn’t appear that he another option other than to go with her. Nodding, he fell in step with her and they walked towards the castle._ **

**_‘Doctor,’ he thought to himself. ‘What crazy mess have you dragged me into this time?’_ **


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update is fairly short, due to time constraints. I didn't want to miss my weekly update, though, so I hope you enjoy.

“Who are they?” the Doctor asked suspiciously as Regina rejoined him at the entrance to the TARDIS.

“Doctor, this is my friend Snow and my sister Zelena.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Doctor, my mother is not going off into space without protection.” Snow’s voice left no room for argument, but the Doctor tried anyway.

“I’ll protect her,” he assured her.

“And Snow, for the hundredth time, I am not your mother," Regina said as she watched the scene unfold in some amusement. Honestly, she was fine with either outcome. She had tried to convince Snow and her sister to stay home, but even as she had she had argued with them, she knew they would do whatever they wanted. They always did. She shrugged helplessly at the Doctor, who laughed despite himself. He knew something about stubborn travel companions.

“Well, I guess all that is left is to convince Donna that she will be traveling with Snow White and the Wicked Witch of the West. That should go well,” he muttered, mind already on the mission at hand.

Zelena was studying the police box with disdain. “Perhaps your companion should stay behind,” she said doubtfully. “I don’t see all 5 of us fitting in there.”

“Oi! Who do you think you are?”

Zelena’s face lit up. “Another Brit! We officially outnumber you now!”

Regina could not have stopped the eye roll even if she wanted to. “Zelena, you’re from Oz,” she reminded her sister.

“I know, but how do you explain this gorgeous accent I have? I must have some Brit in me. Or I will, soon enough anyway.” She winked at the Doctor who shuddered in fear and tried to not make it too obvious that he was hiding behind Donna.

“Actually, I can’t explain it. Why didn’t that question ever occur to me before?” Regina puzzled.

“Probably for the same reason you never questioned why Rumpelstiltskin sounded Scottish. Or why any of us sound American, for that matter. Now are we ready to go?” Snow’s voice sounded impatient.

“Is that a gun?” the Doctor asked, pointing at Snow’s shoulder bag. “I won’t have a gun onboard.”

“It’s not a gun, it’s a bow and arrow.”

“What are you going to do with a bow and arrow?”

“I thought you all sounded American because Storybrooke is in America,” Zelena interjected.

A loud whistle interrupted the conversation and they all turned around to see Donna standing on a stump, looking impatient.

“Oi! Listen up!”

She pointed at Zelena. “You. You’re not British. But neither is he, so why are we even having this conversation?”

“You can bring a bow and arrow in the TARDIS, but do not shoot any arrows in there, understood?” she said to Snow, who nodded mutely.

“You. Open the door to the TARDIS so we can leave. This adventure is already annoying me,” she snapped at the Doctor.

Regina bit back a chuckle. “What about me?” she asked.

“Get your people under control,” Donna ordered.

“Control? These two? I doubt it,” Regina mumbled under her breath, but as she glanced at Snow, she saw a mixture of sadness and awe in her eyes.

“Am the only one that is reminded of-?”

“Emma? No. That was classic Emma, Neverland style right there.” She squeezed Snow’s hand in support, not wanting to admit how much she needed the contact as well.

“Before I open the TARDIS door, I want to prepare you. Normally, my favorite part of bringing people inside is watching their reaction, but we are short on time, so I am going to save us the trouble. The TARDIS is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. It is Gallifreyan technology.”

“Um, Gallifreyan?” Zelena questioned.

“It is the Doctor’s home planet,” Donna explained as they went inside. Despite the Doctor’s warning, Snow and Zelena’s eyes widened in amazement at the sight. Regina, being more prepared, hid her wonder a bit better, but even she was impressed by the sheer magnitude of the size of the console room. From her studies on the Doctor during her training, she knew the console room was just a tiny fraction of the wonders of the TARDIS and she had to fight the temptation to ask if she could explore.

“All right, Doctor. Where do we start?” Regina forced her mind back to the task at hand.

“Well, that’s a good question. Normally I would say we should start with UNIT. That is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, a British government agency tasked with investigating alien presence on Earth.

“But that sounds like the perfect place to start. Why aren’t we on our way there already?” a confused Regina asked.

Donna responded before the Doctor had a chance to. “He’s in the doghouse with Martha,” she snickered, barely hiding her glee.

“Who is Martha?” The question came from Snow, who had been silent since they entered the TARDIS. She appeared calm and ready for whatever lied ahead, but Regina knew she was apprehensive about all the unknown factors in this mission. Snow adapted quickly, but this was far enough out of her element that her nerves had to be on edge.

“Dr. Martha Jones is a former companion of mine,” he said. “Things ended….poorly between us.”

“The Doctor broke her heart,” Donna interjected again, earning her a dirty look from the man in question. Why she found this situation to be so entertaining was a mystery.

The Queen’s eyes darkened with determination. “Take me to her,” she demanded. “I’ll convince her to help us.” No magic sprung forth when she flicked her wrist, but the threat was there in the action as surely as if she had incinerated the entire control room.

“That is not a good idea, Your Majest-uh, Regina, he answered. “It isn’t just my history with Martha that is the problem. She is a very….sensible woman.” The statement was accompanied by a snort from his companion.

“With the timeline shift, she will have no reason to believe in-“ he gestured at the fairy tale crew to indicate his meaning.

“Magic,” Zelena finished for him.

“Any of this,” corrected the Doctor. “She has risen quite high in the UNIT ranks of late and without her support, we won’t get anywhere with them. Time being of the essence as it is, I suggest a route that would have an easier time accepting the reality of what is happening right now.”

Donna frowned. “Doctor, if UNIT is out of the question, that leaves-“

“Yes,” he answered, punching coordinates into the console. “Everyone hang on, we’re about to take off.”

“Where are we going?” Regina demanded.

“Torchwood.”

The TARDIS noise filled the console room, a whooshing sound that vaguely reminded Regina of the sound her magic made when she teleported. The takeoff was bumpier than she expected from someone that Rumple had talked up as much as had the Doctor, but she steadied herself and curiously watched the Doctor as he walked around the console checking various readings and dial settings.

“What is Torchwood?” she asked when she was unable to keep silent any longer.

“Torchwood is another organization that investigates alien presence, though in comparison to UNIT, their approach is less….”

“Legal?” asked Zelena.

“I was going to say orthodox. They do not have the budget or resources that UNIT does, but since they operate outside of government sanction and restrictions, they have access to information UNIT would not be able to obtain.”

The cackle that sprung from Zelena was almost chilling. “A villain!” she said, rubbing her hands together in excitement. “It has been so long since I have worked with one.”

“Not a villain, exactly,” the Doctor replied. “More of a friend that marches to the beat of his own drum. Believe me, if someone is missing because of an alien threat that even I am not aware of, Captain Jack Harkness is the man you want for the job.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess this is now a OUAT/Doctor Who/Torchwood crossover? I don't know. I think it is pretty clear that I have lost control of this story.
> 
> If you are still on this crazy ride, enjoy and I am sorry for the journey into the insanity that resides inside my brain.

**_“What did you say your name was?” Emma grinned at the stranger. She loved Storybrooke, but no one new had arrived in years. Life, while wonderful, could be a little boring in their little corner of the world._ **

**_“I didn’t. But it’s Jack. Jack Harkness.” He held his breath to see if there would be any sign of recognition on her face, but he was disappointed._ **

**_“Jack,” she repeated. “Well, Jack, you’re about to get a quick introduction to life in Storybrooke.” She nodded at an approaching figure, then burst out laughing when the stranger shot a line of magic in her general direction._ **

**_“Savior! What does a girl have to do get a visit from her favorite sister these days?”_ **

**_Emma held up a hand to stop another bolt of magic from the angry red-head. “Hi, Zelena.”_ **

**_Jack’s mouth dropped open when Zelena strode up to his friend, anger in her eyes and magic prepped in her hand, but Emma didn’t even blink. At the last minute, Zelena grinned and pulled Emma into a tight hug. Jack released the breath he didn’t even realize he was holding._ **

**_“Ok, ok, Zelena! I can’t convince Regina to visit you if you squeeze the life out of me.” Zelena dropped her arms and stared at Jack._ **

**_“Well, who might you be, handsome?”_ **

**_“Hey there. I’m Jack.” He flashed the grin that had melted the hearts of literally thousands of people and Zelena pretended to swoon._ **

**_“I approve, Emma. Bring him to my lair.”_ **

**_Emma rolled her eyes. “You don’t have a lair. Besides, I’m bringing him to the castle to see Regina. He needs help.”_ **

**_“Oh, I can help him, definitely,” she said earning another smirk from Jack and a jab to the side from Emma._ **

**_“Stop flirting, you two. We need to head to the castle. You coming with us, Z?”_ **

**_Before Zelena could answer, they found themselves at the entrance to the palace. There was a moment of confusion in Emma’s eyes before it was replaced by the same innocent smile she had been sporting throughout the conversation. Jack jumped at the opportunity._ **

**_“How did we get here so quickly, Emma?”_ **

**_The look of confusion returned but only momentarily as it had before. “Must have been magic.”_ **

**_“Did you cast a spell?”_ **

**_“No.”_ **

**_“How about you?” he asked, nodding at Zelena. “Did you cast a spell?” She shook her head._ **

**_“Does this sort of thing happen a lot, Emma? Thinking about someplace or someone, and then finding yourself there?”_ **

**_The confusion didn’t leave quite so quickly this time and Jack’s mind raced to figure out how to capitalize on the opportunity that was presented to him._ **

**_“It must have been my sister. She hates to waste time.”_ **

**_Jack cursed quietly as the confusion disappeared and Emma’s relieved smile took its place._ **

**_“Seriously, wait until you meet her. She is not exactly one to stop and smell the roses. In fact, you will probably hate her. We should just leave Emma here to butter her up some and you and I head to my place and kill some time.”_ **

**_“Enough, Zelena. You know the law. Any new arrivals in Storybrooke come to Regina first, even if they live in the UFTR.”_ **

**_“Oh, you’re from the UFTR? What realm?”_ **

**_He winced but saw no way out of it. “Oz.”_ **

**_The magic was back instantly and this time, there was no laughter behind it. “I don’t think so, stranger. I would know if you were from Oz. You’re crazy if you think I am going to let you anywhere near my sister now.” Zelena positioned herself between Jack and Emma and glared at him. “Now, who are you really and what do you want?”_ **

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m sorry you traveled all this way, Doctor, but Jack isn’t here. He will be sorry he missed you.”

Regina looked around in fascination. Even the TARDIS had been less startling than this place. It was an underground lair that would have made even her younger self proud in its detail. Machines and instruments were crammed into every corner, some on and beeping, others quiet and dark. She felt her fingers twitch against the urge to flick her wrist and organize the place. The clutter was beginning to give her a headache.

“Who are you?” Donna’s voice pulled Regina from her thoughts and she forced herself to pay attention.

“Forgive me, I have been rude beyond measure. My name is Ianto. That is Gwen.” He nodded towards a short haired brunette on the other side of the room, who waved quickly before returning to the book she was studying.

“As I said,” Ianto continued. “Jack isn’t here. I don’t know where he is, he has been gone for quite some time.”

“How long is ‘quite some time’ exactly.” The Doctor hated imprecision, particularly when it came to matters of time. Sometimes he thought humans didn’t have any clue how important time really was.

“He’s been in and out of Torchwood HQ for about two years, working on a mission. But he left about 4 months ago, and no one has heard from him since.”

As Ianto spoke, he studied the group in front of him. Jack had often spoke of the Doctor with reverence and so it was little wonder that it was he that had grabbed his attention first. But now that he had had time to process their arrival, he looked at each member of the group with interest.

His eyes fell on one member in particular. The brunette was startling in her beauty, but it was her composure that caught his attention. The Doctor was distracted, and the two red heads looked impatient. There was a general air of tension amongst the arrivals, but she merely stared back at him impassively, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

“Is there something I can help you with?”

“Forgive me. You seem familiar to me.”

“Believe me, you would remember meeting her,” Zelena snickered as Donna rolled her eyes. He ignored the pair of them as he continued to study the woman in front of him. In a moment of startling clarity, it hit him.

“You’re Regina.”

She hid her surprise well, but it was clearly there, regardless.

“I’ve seen your picture. Emma had one in her purse.”

He never saw the blow coming. He was flying across the room instantly and before he could regain his balance, Regina was on top of him, her magic squeezing the breath out of him.

“Uh, Regina?” She looked at Snow’s hand on her arm and glanced up to see her former stepdaughter looking at her in concern. “You know he can’t answer your questions if you kill him, right?”

She shook her head and released him. Abashed, she looked around at her companions who were all looking at her with a mixture of worry and amusement.

“If you could keep yourself from murdering our allies, I would very much appreciate it, Your Majesty.” The Doctor’s voice sounded mild, but the warning was there, nonetheless. She acknowledged it with a nod and turned back to Ianto.

“I…apologize.”

“No need,” he answered, earning a snort from Donna.

“Just so we’re clear. Is that the reaction we can expect anytime anyone says her name? Because if so, we need to come up with some sort of code word to use instead.” The irritation in Donna’s voice was clear and Zelena shook her head at her new friend.

“Believe me, you don’t want to try and understand what happens to my sister when it comes to that woman. It is best just to leave it alone.”

Regina looked at Snow for help, figuring she was the only one that might be on her side, but the Princess just smirked at her. “What?” she asked in response to Regina’s glare. “You do get really touchy where my daughter is concerned.”

Regina rolled her eyes and returned her attention to Ianto. “Again, I apologize. Is Emma here?”

“No, but she was. I haven’t seen her here in a long time. If you can keep your magic under control, I will tell you everything I know.”

**\----------------------------------------------------**

**_Jack was reasonably certain that Zelena’s magic could not cause permanent damage since they were currently all dreaming and his body wasn’t really there. Still, he didn’t really understand magic very well and he didn’t want to take the chance of getting hurt. Even a temporary setback now could cost him everything._ **

**_“Emma, what I am about to say to you will be hard to understand, but I think that on some level you know it’s true.”_ **

**_Emma narrowed her eyes at him, and Jack took a deep breath. “We’ve met before. I guess you could say in another realm. Another timeline, actually.” He supposed he should not be surprised at the lack of suspicion on her face. If dream Storybrooke was anything like Emma and Killian had described real Storybrooke, this was likely not her first encounter with time travel or realm jumping._ **

**_He was somewhat encouraged, but he knew that the hard part was still coming._ **

**_“This….none of this is real.” He waved a hand around his surroundings to indicate his meaning. “You’re dreaming.”_ **

**_“I’m….dreaming?”_ **

**_“Yes. That is why this, all of this, always feels somewhat surreal.” He took Emma’s silence as a sign that she was at least willing to hear him out and so he continued._ **

**_“I know you’ve felt it. Popping up in whatever place you happen to be thinking about, each day feeling like a dream come true, but so similar to every other day that they start to run together.”_ **

**_Emma and Zelena shared a look and Emma nodded. Suddenly, Jack felt a hand plunge into his chest, and though he knew it wasn’t really happening, damn if it didn’t hurt when Zelena yanked his heart out._ **

**_“Go ahead and ask what you need to, Savior. He can’t lie to you now.” She gave the heart a slight squeeze as warning, nodding at Emma to begin._ **

**_“Are we all dreaming?”_ **

**_“Well, sort of. This is your dream, Emma. Everyone else is here by your design.”_ **

**_“Why would I design you to be in my dream? I have no memory of you.”_ **

**_He took a moment to try and formulate his answer in a way that would make some degree of sense to her. Big mistake._ **

**_“Ow!” he yelped as Zelena gave his heart another threatening squeeze._ **

**_“I promised my sister that I wouldn’t kill anymore, but the way I see it, if you’re telling the truth, I won’t really be committing murder if I crush this. Shall we find out?”_ **

**_“Not…necessary,” he gasped. “I promise.”_ **

**_“Good. Then answer her questions or the next squeeze will make that last one feel like a tickle.”_ **

**_“You didn’t design me to be here. I came to join you here. That’s why I retain my real memories in your dream.”_ **

**_She nodded. “How are you able to do that? Do you have magic?”_ **

**_“Not in the strictest sense. I guess you could say someone gave me a…a spell to allow me to walk your dream.”_ **

**_“Are you here to hurt Regina?”_ **

**_Jack shook his head in amazement. “That’s what you want to know?”_ **

**_“Answer the question, dreamwalker.”_ **

**_He couldn’t have helped the eye roll at the moniker if he tried. He thought real Emma was a challenge, but even in dream form, Zelena was something else._ **

**_“No, I am not here to hurt Regina. I’m not here to hurt anyone.” He waited for the next question, but Emma didn’t say anything for a moment._ **

**_He was about to continue when she spoke again. “If I am dreaming, where am I? Where is my body?”_ **

**_“Listen, Emma. I am going to tell you everything now. And at the end of my story, you are going to have to make a choice. I can’t make you wake up, but I hope you will choose to.”_ **

**_She nodded, but Zelena still looked at him suspiciously. Nothing could be done about that, so he took a breath and began explaining._ **

**_“Your body is in a prison; I suppose you could say. You’re being kept in a dream to keep you from being a threat to a very powerful force. You’ve been missing for a long time, but probably not as long as you are thinking right now.”_ **

**_“What does that mean?”_ **

**_“It is actually the year 2025 right now. You left Storybrooke in 2021, although I last saw you about a year or so after that._ **

**_“Where is Regina in all of this?”_ **

**_He wished she hadn’t asked the question but was unsurprised at it. “She’s in Storybrooke, Emma,” he said softly. He watched her heart break in front of him and wished with all his might that he could take her pain away._ **

**_“She searched for you for a really long time.”_ **

**_“She gave up on me?” Her voice was the tiniest whisper now and he shook his head emphatically._ **

**_“I don’t believe that, Emma and you shouldn't either. You used to tell me about her, about the real Regina. I know how determined she is. She gave up searching to go home and protect your daughter. But I believe she is still looking for you in any way she can.”_ **

**_Her eyes were red rimmed, but no tears fell from her eyes. “How do you know all that?”_ **

**_He hesitated again, but started speaking again after a quick glance at Zelena. “Someone told me. The same person that gave me the spell to join you here. He…sees things others don’t.”_ **

**_“He’s a Seer? He has the gift of foresight?”_ **

**_“Not really. It is more like things happen out of order for him, so sometimes your future is in his past. Listen, I know it doesn’t really make sense. It’s not going to. You either believe me or you don’t.”_ **

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“It started about 4 years ago. A man showed up here. He said he was from a place called Storybrooke and that he had received a message while sailing on his ship that if he wanted to protect his wife and child, he needed to find us, here in Torchwood.”

“Killian.” It wasn’t a question, but Ianto nodded anyway.

“Yes. He turned to Jack for help and the two of them grew close. Very close.”

Regina raised an eyebrow at that statement but chose not to comment. This was not the story that she had been expecting to hear, but clearly it was important, at least to Ianto.

Zelena, however, had no such sense of delicacy about her. “How close?” she demanded.

“Killian loved Emma, I know that much. But as the months went by, he started to share that his marriage was in trouble and that while they loved each other very much, he didn’t think they would be able to make it work. He turned to Jack for um…comfort.”

The silence following his proclamation was broken by Zelena. “Are you trying to tell us that Captain Hook was gay? Because I met the man and there is no way.”

“I don’t presume to know his sexuality. But you need to know Jack to understand this situation.” He looked at the Doctor for confirmation and the Doctor nodded.

“Jack is unique. He does not discriminate in his affection and he has a way of making you feel like you are the center of his universe. Very few can resist him and most don’t want to. He is special.” His voice cracked and the pain in his eyes radiated with Regina, who reached out and touched his arm softly in silent support. She knew what it was like to watch the one you love care for someone else.

Especially if that someone else was Killian fucking Jones.

Ianto appeared lost in thought, but Regina’s touch brought him back to reality. He looked up to see everyone looking at him expectantly.

“I’m sorry, let me continue. Emma showed up a few months after Killian. I never got the story of how she tracked him down here, but I suspect it was part of a trap.”

“A trap?” asked the Doctor. “What makes you say that?”

“We tracked the threat to a being named Zellin.”

“You mean Zellin the Eternal?”

Ianto nodded. “Yes. But as it turns out, it wasn’t us here at Torchwood he wanted or Killian. It was Emma. I think he knew she would follow him here.”

Donna tugged at the Doctor’s sleeve when it became obvious he was ignoring her. “Who the hell is Zellin the Eternal?” she demanded. “Would someone please explain what the hell is going on?” The conversation continued as though she hadn’t spoken.

“Why wouldn’t he just attack her in Storybrooke?” asked Regina.

“I don’t know for certain, Your Majesty, but our research indicated he was afraid of Storybrooke. Specifically, someone who lived there.”

“The Dark One? Rumpelstiltskin died years before Hook and Emma disappeard ”

“Not Rumpelstiltskin, Your Majesty.” Ianto shook his head. “You.”

“Me?”

“That’s what it looked like. We weren’t able to figure out why, though. When Zellin attacked, he went straight for Killian. He seemed to know he was Jack’s weakness.” He pressed his hand to his eyes and shook his head. His head was pounding and he didn’t know how much more of this he would be able to deal with.

"So then, I am the reason Emma is gone. Doesn't that just fit in perfectly with the way my life goes." Her head dropped in resignation. She should have known she was somehow responsible for this. As she always did, she took a second to calm the voice of the Evil Queen that was just aching to get out. She had thought that voice would leave when she had physically separated her darker half from herself, but it had never fully left, always waiting until she was at her most vulnerable to start whispering again. Its continued presence in her head remained her most closely guarded secret.

Abruptly, Regina felt her head being jerked up. Startled, she stared into Snow's eyes and pulled her face free from her stepdaughter's hand on her chin.

"You listen to me, Regina. _Zellin_ is the reason Emma is gone. And we are going to find her. We are closer than we have ever been."

Regina felt her sister's hand on her back, discretely rubbing soft circles, as the Doctor and Donna pretended not to notice what was going on. She took a moment to compose herself, suddenly desperately glad she had brought her family along with her.

Ianto watched the scene with some jealousy. He would have killed for a comforting touch right then. The pounding in his head worsened as he wished with all his heart that Jack would just come home.

“Ianto?” He looked up to see Regina smiling gently at him. Gone was her impatience and the fury she reacted with when she heard Emma’s name. The despair of a few minutes earlier was gone as well. In her place was the calm, composed Queen he had seen when they first exited the TARDIS.

It would have been easy to resent her. Hate her, even. He had no idea what Zellin was after, but somehow, he knew that that this woman, and her relationship with Emma, were at the heart of his plan. She was the reason Killian ever arrived at Torchwood. Whatever power she held, it scared Zellin enough to set this entire thing in motion.

He bit back a sob as Regina cradled him in her arms. “You’re ok,” she soothed. “I’m so sorry it has been so hard for you.”

Snow and Zelena exchanged a glance. They knew this side of the Queen, but it wasn’t one that she let out often. In fact, they had only ever seen Henry, Hope and her grandchildren on the receiving end of Regina’s comforting touch. Despite herself, Snow felt a twinge of jealousy.

Ianto calmed under in Regina’s embrace. “May I try something?” she asked. When he nodded, she passed her hand gently over his temple. Instantly his headache was gone.

“Better?”

He nodded and she released him so that he could continue his story. “Jack ran to help Killian, stop the bleeding from his wound. While he was distracted, Zellin took Emma away. I tried to stop him! I swear I did!” He looked directly at Regina, tears coming again. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty.”

“It’s not your fault.” At his disbelieving look, she repeated herself. “It’s not your fault, Ianto. This creature, whomever he is, sounds incredibly powerful.”

“Killian died in Jack’s arms. Before he died, he made Jack promise to find Emma and rescue her and that’s what he has been doing ever since. He normally checks in every few weeks, but its been a few months since anyone has heard from him.”

Regina left his side to confer with the Doctor. By the look on his face, it seemed he knew what she was thinking.

“We need to find Jack, Doctor. He either is in Zellin’s clutches as well, or he found a lead worth disappearing for. Either way, if we find Jack, we will likely find Emma.”

“One more thing, Doctor,” Ianto added. “Regina isn’t the only one Zellin was afraid of. He was working with someone. Or more accurately, he was working for someone. I don’t know who it is, but Zellin made me promise that if you ever showed up here, to tell you that he is old friend of yours.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------

**_Emma turned away, trying to grapple with everything she was just told. It wasn’t the first time that she had been asked to accept the unbelievable on blind faith. She hadn’t done it back then, and the consequences had been devastating. If she ignored his warning and he was telling the truth, then who knew what kind of hell she was dooming her family to._ **

**_On the other hand, if she had to make the choice to wake, did that mean that she had also made the choice to go to sleep? Was there a reason her non dream self chose not to fight? Who was she protecting?_ **

**_She ached to talk to Regina about this, but now that she knew this Regina was a figment of her apparently stupidly romantic imagination, it felt pointless. She was furious with Jack for ruining her illusion, but mostly she just wanted to cry. Did she really want to wake up to a world where she and Regina were apart? Did she want to stay here knowing Regina wasn’t real?_ **

**_What was the right thing to do?_ **

**_“Emma?” Jack took her in his arms and hugged her. The comfort she instantly felt in his arms convinced her that, at the very least, he was telling the truth about their friendship._ **

**_“I don’t have much time until I wake up. When I do, you will likely forget all of this. It’s time to make a choice.”_ **

**_“Can I say goodbye to Regina?”_ **

**_“Regina isn’t real, honey. If you choose to wake up, she will cease to exist. Emma, I want you to wake up more than anything. I need your help fighting because that is who your real self is. A fighter. A Savior, in every sense of the word. But the choice has to be yours.”_ **

**_She closed her eyes and took a deep breath._ **

**_“What do you want to do?”_ **

****

****


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for RegalLemon905. I hope I did your vision of Ash justice.

_Celestial Prison, Early 2022_

_“Zellin.” The hatred in Emma’s voice as she spat the word out would have been frightening to a lesser being. Zellin just laughed at her._

_“Oh, Savior. Always so brave, and yet so, so helpless.” He grinned at her cruelly._

_“I’m not afraid of you, Zellin. I know you need me to be afraid in order to survive.”_

_“That’s not exactly true, Savior. I actually much prefer you like this. You’re not afraid because you believe your family to be safe.”_

_“You can’t go near Storybrooke. Regina would destroy you.”_

_“Well, that much is true.” He laughed at her surprise. “Shocked I would admit it? Regina is unique, there is no sense in denying it. Your decision to leave Storybrooke to follow Killian was the best thing to ever happen to me.”_

_She glowered at him in rage but would not give him the satisfaction of a response._

_“I know you think that I want you to be afraid, but just like the stupid human you are, you fail to understand complexity. The way you are right now, secure in the knowledge that Regina and your daughter are safe, works perfectly for me.”_

_That didn’t make sense. Every bit of research she had done with Jack and Killian about Zellin said that he fed off human fear in order to maintain his immortality. He was fueled by their nightmares._

_“Did you think your fear was gone, you stupid girl? Did you think that because you don’t_ feel _afraid that your nightmares just disappeared? We both know that the things you have seen in your life is enough food to last for centuries for a creature like me.”_

_“I don’t care what you do to me, Zellin. Regina will keep Hope safe and that is all that matters.”_

_“You really believe that! You actually and truly believe that! Oh, that is precious” He laughed delightedly at her. “Burying your fear and your nightmares deep in your subconscious does not keep them safe from me, Emma. It actually just makes it easier for me to feed.”_

_When she didn’t respond, he leaned close into her face and hissed in displeasure. “I can reach into levels of your psyche that don’t even manifest themselves in your dreams and take all the horrors you never let yourself think of._

_“They will be mine. One. By. One.”_

_He grinned at the change in her expression. “You’re afraid now, human. Aren’t you?”_

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Torchwood, Present Day

“A friend of mine?” The Doctor asked. “Did Jack ever figure out who he meant?”

“No,” said Ianto. “He tried, but he said you had too many to begin to narrow it down without more information.”

“That’s not entirely true. I know many beings, that’s true, but friends? Jack is actually one of only a handful that I consider friends.”

“You don’t think Zellin is working for Jack, do you?” Regina had to return to Ianto’s side to keep him from attacking her sister when she asked her question. He didn’t deserve what would have happened to him if he had followed through.

“No, of course not. It is just an odd choice of words, that’s all.”

“Does it really matter, though?” Snow asked. When they all turned to look at her, she shrugged. “My understanding is that the point of this mission is to rescue Emma, not to defeat Zellin. If Jack had a lead on Emma, we should follow it. We can figure out who Zellin is working with later.”

“She’s right.” Apparently, agreeing with Snow White was never going to stop leaving a bad taste in her mouth, no matter how much time passed. Snow and Zelena looked at her in shock.

“What? You are.” Regina looked around at the hodgepodge of people around her. “We need to find Emma and to do that, we need to find Jack.”

“Yeah? And how do you propose we do that?” Donna asked sarcastically. “Do you have some sort of spell you want to enact? Should I gather up some eye of newt? Maybe dragon’s blood?”

“No need. I have both of those items in my bag.” Regina’s eyes narrowed, but her voice stayed mild.

Zelena grabbed her friend and pulled her aside. “Word of advice, Donna? Quit antagonizing my sister.”

“Why? Will she toss me across the room like she did to Ianto?”

“She won’t have to.” She squeezed Donna’s arm until she was sure her message was clear.

“Enough, Zelena.” Regina got in between the two women. “You have nothing to fear from me, Donna. I’m not your enemy, nor do I have any desire to make an enemy of the Doctor. But I do believe you would enjoy this little adventure a bit more if you would work on overcoming your disbelief regarding magic.”

“But I wasn’t kidding about the ….um, spell.” She winced as she said it and Regina turned around and looked at her with interest. “ _Is_ there a spell that would help us find Jack?”

“Maybe a locator spell? Would that work?” Snow asked hopefully, but Regina shook her head.

“I tried every locator spell known to mage when I was looking for Emma. Nothing worked.”

“Ah, yes!” The Doctor’s face lit up. “But you didn’t have the TARDIS then, did you?” He raced back into the structure in question and began digging around various drawers and cabinets. Pulling out handfuls of maps, he laid them all out.

“Correct me if I am wrong, Regina, but there is a spell that will allow you to track someone on a map, isn’t there?”

“Yes. I mean, I need their blood or the blood of a close relative, but again, I tried that when I was looking for Emma and nothing happened.”

“Don’t you see? It didn’t work because the map you used was one of Earth.” He gestured to the maps he laid out in front of him. “Emma was off Earth by the time you began to look for her. These are star maps of every galaxy in the known universe.” He grinned at the heartened expression on the Queen’s face.

“We can track them,” she breathed.

Donna whooped in excitement as Snow and Zelena hugged each other.

“We can track them,” he confirmed.

\----------------------------------------------------------

_Celestial Prison, Early 2022_

_“This doesn’t have to be that hard, you know,” Zellin said. “Like I said, the calmer you are, the easier it will be for me to get what I need.”_

_“You are crazy if you think I am not going to fight you.”_

_“Am I? Are you willing to take the chance of losing?”_

_“All I have to do is get word to Regina. She will defeat you.”_

_He laughed at her. “Your faith in her is admirable, I will grant you that. Misplaced, but admirable.”_

_“It’s not misplaced,” she replied. Her stubborn streak was starting to emerge. “It’s_ not.”

_“It’s not?” He shrugged. “Well then, this should be an easy decision.”_

_“What decision?”_

_“Here is what we are going to do. I am going to return you to Earth. For one week. If you are so sure Regina can defeat me, go back to Storybrooke and wait. Because that is where I am going to go to get you back.”_

_“You think I won’t?”_

_“No, I am pretty sure you will. But understand that I am not going to attack her. Instead, I will find another means of sustenance. Your daughter lost both her parents recently, right? I am sure her nightmares will fill me up for a while.”_

_Emma growled and pulled at her restraints. “Regina will stop you._ I _will stop you.”_

_“So, you keep saying. Just how sure are you of that fact?”_

_When she didn’t answer, he knew he had her. “Or we could do this my way. You keep Regina away from me and I will stay away from your daughter. You will still get your week on Earth, but instead of using it to prepare for battle, use it to ensure your daughter will be taken care of. Make arrangements for her future. Then, when you return, I will ensure that you are kept in a state of eternal bliss so that I can access your fear unencumbered. We both win this way.”_

_“Regina will never stop looking for me.”_

_This conversation was growing tiresome. “Then make sure she does. Come on Savior. Aren’t you tired of fighting the inevitable yet?”_

_\--------------------------------------------------------------_

**_Lost in concentration as she considered her choices, Emma failed to notice Jack begin to fade away. It wasn’t until the flash of light hit that she noticed he was gone._ **

**_“What was that? Jack? Jack?”_ **

**_Jack was nowhere to be found. She looked at Zelena, but her sister in law looked even more confused than she felt._ **

**_“Who’s Jack?” she asked._ **

**_“He was just here a minute ago. Jack?”_ **

**_“Jack’s gone. The pollen is used up and he ran out of time.” Emma turned to see a girl walking towards her._ **

**_“But where did he go?”_ **

**_“He was never here, Emma. His subconscious just reunited with his body, that’s all. Actually, hang on a second.”_ **

**_She walked up to Zelena and put a hand on her arm. “Zelena,” she said gently. “Regina is on her way to your house for a visit. You need to hurry if you are going to beat her there.”_ **

**_To Emma’s amazement, Zelena’s face lit up and she hurried off without a word._ **

**_“Ok, what the hell was that?” she asked._ **

**_“With Jack gone, she doesn’t remember that there is a threat. Apparently, you think all she wants out of life is to hang out with Regina. Not everyone is like you, you know.”_ **

**_“But…wait, how do I….who are…what the hell is happening?”_ **

**_The girl looked at her amused. “Which of those would you like me to answer first?”_ **

**_“Who the hell are you?”_ **

**_“I’m psychic energy. Actually, to be more specific, I am_ your _psyche, given form by the ashes of the psychic pollen when Jack expelled it.”_**

**_“Really. You rose from the ashes? I suppose you want me to call you Phoenix.”_ **

**_The girl laughed. “Yeah, that’s a bit much. Just call me Ash. It gets the point across without being overly dramatic.”_ **

**_Emma shook her head. “You know that none of this makes any sense.”_ **

**_“Nothing has made sense in years, Emma. You just never noticed it until Jack made you look at the world you created.”_ **

**_“So, is it like when I created the Wish Realm?”_ **

**_“No, not really. The Wish Realm was real. In fact, it was so real, it stuck around after you left. You were really there. You’re not really here, though.”_ **

**_Emma shook her head. “No. No. I’m not doing this.” She turned and stalked off. She would head to the castle, she decided. Make love to Regina. Hug her daughter. Things would go back to normal._ **

**_She blinked as Ash appeared in front of her again. “God damn it. Go away.”_ **

**_Ash rolled her eyes. “I’m your psyche dummy. You can’t just run away from me.”_ **

**_“Watch me.” She turned to leave again, ignoring Ash’s scowl of frustration._ **

**_“Fuck, Emma. You’ve had me asleep for the past three years. Least you could do is stop running until I have a chance to fully wake up.”_ **

**_Emma whirled on her. “Why do I remember Jack? He said I would forget him if I didn’t wake up.”_ **

**_She shrugged. “Best guess? You were leaning towards going with him when he ran out of time. Besides, you can’t just wake up a psyche and expect it to go back to sleep without a fight. Which reminds me.” She hauled off and slapped Emma, hard, across the face._ **

**_“Ow! What the hell was that for?”_ **

**_“Beats me. I just know I was supposed to do it. Apparently, you think you deserve that.” She shrugged again. “You probably do, you know. What the hell were you thinking, believing Regina couldn’t keep Hope safe from Zellin? Seriously? Have you met that woman?”_ **

**_“I couldn’t take the chance.”_ **

**_She softened. “I guess. You’re lucky I’m here. Most people have to have these conversations inside their head.”_ **

**_“Yeah, well, most people don’t get to find out their psyche looks like the poster child for the gay half of the Gay-Straight Alliance. Really? A red plaid shirt? And that haircut is awful.”_ **

**_“I like it. Which means you do too, you know.” She grinned at her. “Do you want to talk about the beanie next?”_ **

**_“Definitely not. That thing is way too 2011 for me.” She shook her head. “Look, it’s not that I am not glad you are here, but why exactly are you here?”_ **

**_Ash’s face turned serious. “I’m here to put you back under, Emma.”_ **

**_“Wait, why?”_ **

**_“Because, in true Savior fashion, when faced with a hard way to do things and a harder way to do things, you picked the hardest way of all. You’re aware now, but you’re still asleep. Which means when Zellin comes for your nightmares…..” her voice trailed off._ **

**_“Emma, we are going to have to wait for Regina to find you now. Putting you back into oblivion is the best way to keep you safe until she does.”_ **

**_Emma turned away from Ash, needing a moment to think. Now that her awareness was returning, she could remember her conversation with the Eternal from years earlier._ **

**_“Won’t going back under make it easier for Zellin to feed? I don’t want to make him stronger.”_ **

**_“You can’t stay aware, Emma. It’s not safe.”_ **

**_“But it will make things harder for Zellin, won’t it?”_ **

**_“Yes, it will make him have to fight for what he needs from you and that will weaken him. But having 2 realities in your head at the same time….you remember what that did to Jefferson?”_ **

**_Emma shook her head, her stubbornness returning in full force. “It drove him mad. But my psyche is a lot stronger than Jefferson’s was.”_ **

**_Ash grinned. “Aww, thanks, girl.”_ **

**_“Regina will find me, Ash. I know she will.”_ **

**_“I do too. You believe it, which means I have to as well. But Emma…” her eyes began to fill._ **

**_Emma put her hand on the girl’s shoulders, hoping to give her strength. “What is it, Ash?”_ **

**_“I’m afraid, Emma. What if he breaks me?”_ **

**_“I won’t let him. I promise.”_ **

**_Ash nodded, wiping away her tears. “Ok. But at least let me give you something to help sustain you when things get bad. Do you remember what you asked Jack for?”_ **

**_“I wanted to say good-bye to Regina. But she isn’t going anywhere now that I am still asleep, is she?”_ **

**_Ash shook her head at the blonde’s naivete. “You don’t understand how this works, Emma. As Zellin forces your fears out into the open, they are going to seep into this reality. You’ll be faced with them every single day. Everything is going to change.”_ **

**_“So then Regina will turn back into the Evil Queen?” Emma’s mind rebelled at the thought. “I’m not afraid of that. I haven’t been afraid of that in years.”_ **

**_“Well, what are you afraid of, then?”_ **

**_She thought about it, looking Ash deep in the eyes as she examined her psyche. “She is going to hate me.”_ **

**_“Yes. Are you sure you still want to do this?”_ **

**_“I have to._ We _have to.”_**

**_Ash nodded again. “Ok, then. Let me give you the chance to say good-bye. And Emma, once you’re done, I will be merged back into you. If you want to talk to me again, you will need to examine your thoughts. And I don’t have to tell you how awful that can be.”_ **

**_“I know. I understand. And….I’m sorry.”_ **

**_Ash shrugged. “Me too.” She snapped her fingers, and suddenly, she was gone, and Emma was back at the castle._ **

**_Regina was taking a nap, but already Emma could see the restlessness. She dreaded the day her love’s eyes opened and she saw distrust in them. She slipped in beside her wife and put her arms around her._ **

**_“Hello, my love.” Regina opened her eyes and rolled over._ **

**_“Hello.” She tried to smile, but it must have come across strained and painful. Regina sat up._ **

**_“What’s wrong?”_ **

**_“Nothing. I just really, really love you, that’s all.”_ **

**_Regina laughed and when she kissed her, long and deep, Emma sent a silent thank you to Ash for the gift._ **

**_“I really, really love you too.” She laid back down and closed her eyes. Emma snuggled close to her once more. Once she was sure her wife was asleep, she leaned over and kissed her forehead._ **

**_“Good-bye, Regina.”_ **

****

****

****


	7. Chapter 7

Zellin’s companion nudged the semi-conscious figure of Jack Harkness with his foot.

“Psychic pollen,” he proclaimed. “Not too surprising considering he’s acquainted with the Doctor. My old friend is big fan of this particular item.”

“Do you think they will come looking for them?” asked the Eternal.

His companion snorted. “The Doctor’s brain power combined with the heart and sheer determination of The Good Queen? I think it is a miracle they aren’t already here.”

Zellin scowled. “I knew this would happen. Why did we have to go after Emma Swan in the first place? She’s a wild card.”

“Quiet! I promised you an endless supply of nightmares in exchange for your assistance. Have I not delivered on that?”

Zellin didn’t know before he met this man that Eternal beings could get migraines, but this particular alliance was making him seriously question his desire to remain immortal. Right at that moment, death sounded almost blissful.

“Of all the nightmares in the universe, you needed to pick the source that will attract Regina Mills of all people?”

“That was by design. You’re not meant to understand my reasoning. Besides, you may be afraid of Regina Mills, but I assure you that I am not.”

That was not nearly as a reassuring statement as it had been when Zellin first heard it 4 years earlier when he signed on to this adventure. He was fairly certain the annoying creature he had pledged loyalty to would run off and leave him to face the Queen’s wrath alone as soon as it was convenient.

He briefly toyed with the idea of stealing this man’ nightmares. Surely as twisted a soul as he would hold nightmares beyond comprehension.

“I can hear your pathetic thoughts turning from over here. If you want to try to tap into my nightmares, go ahead, but don’t blame me when you get hurt.”

Annoyed by this insult, he tried to do just that. Twisting his power inside the man’s mind, he scrabbled around looking for the fear he knew would sustain him.

Bang

Bang

Bang

Bang

His confusion was met by an arrogant sneer. Furious he tried again.

Bang

Bang

Bang

Bang

“Give it up, Zellin. I’m not human and you won’t find anything worth your time in my head.”

He sat back with a frustrated sigh. “What was that sound?”

“It was drumming. That is all that exists in my head anymore. My psyche has been broken for centuries, you know, by beings more twisted than you could ever imagine.”

Zellin had never felt that kind of emptiness before. He prided himself on the number of minds he had broken during his endless existence in the universe. Some of his finest moments resulted in psyches shattered beyond any hope of repair, but whoever had done that made him look like an amateur. He thought there was a pretty good chance that he would hear that drumming sound in his own nightmares.

“What do we do about these two?”

“Well, this isn’t my problem, so I am going home. If I were you, I would move them.”

“I can’t move them both before they get here!”

“True enough. It is up to you, of course, but I would move the food source. Let the Doctor find the Time Traveler. He doesn’t know enough to be useful to anyone.”

“But-“ He cut himself off as he stared down at Jack in horror. “Did you see that?”

“Yes, he is definitely waking up. Can you put him under?”

“No. Emma’s psyche is stronger than any I have encountered before, and she is starting to struggle. It will take all my strength to keep her contained.”

“Well, then, I suggest you get going before he wakes up fully. He is going to have a nasty headache and he will be in a foul mood.”

“I knew this was a bad idea. You have to help me!”

He sensed the blow before he felt it.

“What did you say to me?”

“Nothing. I..I’m sorry.”

“Who is in charge here?”

“You are.”

“That’s right!” Maniacal laughter took the place of the furious tone. “And who am I?”

Zellin’s voice dropped to a defeated whisper. “You’re the Master.”

\--------------------------------------------------

“What do you need to enact the spell?” The Doctor asked. “Anything special we need to procure?”

“It’s not really dragon’s blood, is it?” Donna interjected.

“No, dear, but do not fret. I have an ex-girlfriend that is kind enough to make sure I have a steady supply of that should we need it.”

Zelena didn’t even try to hide her snort of laughter. “One day I need to show you some of the things I play with, Donna. You would love it.”

Mumbling something about throwing a bucket of water on her head, Donna turned back to the Queen. “Then what do we need?”

“We need some of their blood. We are assuming they are together, so the blood of either one of them should be fine.”

Snow joined in the conversation. “What about my blood? I’m her mother, is that close enough?”

Regina hesitated. “Normally, I would say yes. Blood of a close relative would at least get us in the general area. But this spell encompasses a much wider search range than anything I have ever encountered before. I don’t think the general area will be helpful right now.”

Her brain raced trying to come up with a way to narrow the search parameters, but she was interrupted by Ianto.

“Here,” he said holding out a vial of blood. She accepted it with a puzzled look.

“It’s Jack’s blood. He keeps several vials around as bargaining chips. Its how we got most of this stuff.”

“Dare I ask?” she said, but truthfully, she did not really care. She was already planning the most efficient way to distribute the blood among the various star maps the Doctor laid out

“Jack has…regenerative powers,” Ianto said. “It has captured the interest of many government organizations, UNIT in particular. Jack trades vials of his blood for testing in exchange for equipment and various other favors.

“Is he immortal?” asked Zelena.

“Not in the way you are thinking,” the Doctor interrupted. “He is not like Zellin, nor does he regenerate as an entire being the way that I do. But his cells have incredible healing and regenerative properties, which allow them to repair at a rate much faster than the normal rate in which a cell dies. So, while he is not ‘immortal’ exactly, he cannot be killed or even harmed by any known methods in the universe.”

Regina filed that information away as she carefully placed droplets of blood on some of the maps. She was learning so much that she wanted to explore. Already, she was regretting her promise to the Doctor to swallow a forgetting potion when this was over.

Her thoughts were interrupted by glow on one of the maps. She pointed the location out to the doctor who put the coordinates into the TARDIS computer mainframe. He frowned at the results in confusion.

“How sure are you of the accuracy of this outcome?”

“Not sure at all,” Regina replied. “I have never performed magic on this type of scale before.”

He nodded as he double checked the results. “This doesn’t make sense. There is nothing there.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean this is the halfway point between two orphan planets. There is nothing there but empty space.”

“I think we should check it out.” Snow’s voice as they stared at the mainframe startled them all.

“Didn’t you hear me? There is nothing to check out. There is nothing there.”

Snow shook her head stubbornly. “There has to be. I trust Regina’s magic,” she said ignoring Regina’s stifled gasp of surprise.

“Snow,” Regina said, trying to speak through the warmth that suddenly threatened to overwhelm her.

Snow offered her a tight smile. “I know we have a complicated relationship, Regina,” she said. “And I know you hate it when I say that I think of you as my mother, but for a long time, that is what you were. I trust you. If your magic says there is something there, we should check it out.”

Damn if she didn’t hate this off balance feeling that Snow was so good at making her feel. She turned away, suddenly embarrassed by the emotion she knew was present on her face. Zelena smirked at her sister’s discomfort but put a steadying hand on her shoulder anyway.

The Doctor and Donna exchanged a glance. They did that a lot, Regina noticed, as though they had an understanding between them that the rest were not privy to.

“It wouldn’t hurt to do a fly by,” Donna pointed out. “If there’s nothing there, we can always regroup.”

The Doctor didn’t respond. He was already punching the coordinates into the console.

\-----------------------------------------------------

As the TARDIS flew, the Doctor continued to study the computer. Suddenly, he sat up straight and stared at screen closely.

“Yes!” he cried out. “God, I am thick. I should have seen it sooner. Come here, Your Majesty. Take a look at this.”

Regina walked over and stood over his shoulder but did not see anything out of the ordinary.

“What am I looking at?”

“See those lines right there? What do they look like to you?”

Regina squinted, until she saw the faint lines the Doctor meant.

“I’m not certain, but it looks like rope. Or…or chains.”

“Exactly!” the Doctor beamed at her. “I do enjoy a quick study.”

“What does it mean, though?” asked Donna.

“For millennia, when the Eternals needed a place to store their prisoners, they took to the farthest reaches of the universe. They fashioned ropes out of light energy that were so thin they were almost undetectable by any known means and they anchored the ropes between two abandoned planets.”

“So, they were able to hold their victims in deep space without being detected,” Regina finished for him.

“Precisely. And they had another advantage, too. The ropes are easily portable, so if they were in danger of being discovered, they could find another pair of planets and move them with almost no effort.”

Almost as though he fated it to happen by his explanation, the lights on the screen began to glow and then fade from view.

“Damn it! They are moving! But where?”

He and Regina ran over to the map, but Jack’s blood was not moving. They looked at each other in horror.

“Doctor! What’s going on?”

“He is clearly moving the prison, most likely with Emma in it. But it looks like he is abandoning Jack”

“But you said there’s nothing there! If the prison moves, Jack will be stuck floating around outer space.”

“Won’t he die from lack of oxygen?” asked Snow.

“I can’t say for certain, but I don’t think so. Jack once spent centuries underground buried alive. He will survive, but it will be incredibly painful, and he will become almost impossible to track.”

His mind raced to formulate a plan. “Ok!” he shouted. “Everyone to the opposite of the console room and find something to hold onto. This is going to get hairy. Donna, follow me.”

He led Donna to the side of control panel and pointed out a blue lever. “That is the manual override for the TARDIS’s door lock. When I give you the signal, pull it and do not let go under any circumstances.”

She nodded and he ran to the TARDIS door to prepare himself.

“Regina! Can you see the map with Jack’s blood from where you are standing?”

“Yes, I can!”

“Good. When we are set to converge on the location, the spell will assume it has done its job and stop glowing. As soon as that happens, you let me know, ok?”

She nodded, even though she knew he couldn’t see her. Heart pounding, she stared at the map, waiting for them to arrive at their destination.

“It stopped!” she screamed.

“Donna, pull the lever!” She did and the TARDIS door opened. They all held on for dear life as the sudden burst of air inside threated to blow them all out into space. The Doctor stood at the doorway to the TARDIS, holding on desperately with one hand while reaching the other hand out as far is it would go.

His eyes searched the abyss before him frantically. When he saw the familiar figure floating near them, he began to shout.

“Jack! Grab my hand!”

“I can’t! I’m moving too fast!”

“Yes, you can! Just reach for me, I won’t let you go.”

He strained with all his might and as soon as he felt Jack’s hand grab his, he pulled them back inside.

“I’ve got him, Donna! Release the lever!”

She obeyed and everyone tumbled down to the ground. Breathing hard, they tried to recover from their ordeal. Jack looked around at his new companions.

“Hi. I’m Captain Jack Harkness.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Not now, Jack.”

Jack laughed but continued to study the group. His eyes fell on Zelena with a smirk.

“Jack? Do you know where Emma is?”

Jack turned away from Zelena’s questioning gaze and looked at Regina. Her eyes were so full of hope, he hated himself for the knowledge that he was about to have to break her heart.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I failed.”


	8. Chapter 8

**_“Good morning, my love,” Emma said as Regina’s eyes opened. Regina replied with a grunt and rolled over without kissing her wife. Emma’s heart dropped._ **

**_‘Stop it.’ she ordered herself. ‘She is just tired.’_ **

**_“Bad night, sweetheart?”_ **

**_“Yes, you could say that.” Regina did not elaborate further._ **

**_Emma searched her mind for the right thing to say. The idea of censoring herself around Regina, in any reality, was so absurd that she had no idea how to navigate this situation. An angry Regina was familiar, if a bit scary. She had been bracing herself for rage and threats of curses._ **

**_A quietly sulking Regina was new, and Emma had no idea how to handle it._ **

**_“Do you want to talk about it?”_ **

**_“No,” said Regina. She sat up abruptly and left the bed. Watching her disappear into the bathroom, Emma ached for the days she knew weren’t coming back._ **

**_\---------------------------------------------------_ **

“What do you mean, you failed? What were you supposed to do?”

Jack looked to the Doctor for help in explaining the situation, but the Time Lord looked just as confused as the rest of them. He looked back and forth between the Queen and the Doctor, but when he saw no comprehension on any of their faces, he sat down with a sigh.

“I was supposed to use psychic pollen to enter Emma’s dream and convince her to wake up, but I-“ He stopped speaking as Regina interrupted him.

“Wait. Wake up from what? What dream?”

Now Jack was really confused. “Do you really not know? Any of you?”

At their headshakes and confused looks, he said, “Ok. I guess I better start from the beginning then. Emma is being held captive by a being named-“

“Zellin the Eternal. We know that much.”

“Ok, good. Then you know what he does.” At her continued confusion, he glared at the Doctor. “You haven’t told them what he does?”

“It didn’t seem prudent at the time.”

Jack looked furious at that. “You are impossible sometimes.”

He turned to Regina. “This is going to be hard to hear, Your Majesty.”

“Well, then, wait a second.” She motioned for Snow to join them and took her hand. “Jack, This is Emma’s mother, Mary Margaret.” She hoped the warning was enough for him to understand to dial back some of the more gruesome details.

His eyes sparkled as he took her hand. “Snow. It’s an honor.” He bent and kissed her hand with a flourish. “Emma spoke of you often.”

“Jack,” warned the Doctor.

“I’m just being polite! Ok. Zellin is an immortal that feeds on nightmares. Well, fear actually, but nightmares are his usual method of feeding.”

Snow’s eyes widened in horror and she reached for Regina’s hand without thinking. Glancing down, Regina clasped Snow’s hand in a way that would allow the woman to squeeze it if she needed to.

Jack saw Snow’s face and tried to dial back. “Emma is fine,” he assured her. “Zellin needs her alive.”

“To feed off her nightmares?” asked Regina.

“Yes, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.” At their disbelief, he tried to insist. “It’s not. He has her in suspended animation, so her body feels no pain.”

“What about her mind?”

The Doctor interjected. “Zellin figured out long ago that the easiest way to feed on fear is when his victims are calm and not fighting him. My guess is he has Emma in a sort of state of bliss.”

Jack nodded eagerly in agreement. “He does. I saw her and she is truly happy.”

Regina snorted in derision. “You mean she thinks she is happy.”

“Well, yes, Your Majesty. But for what it’s worth, she thinks she is happy with you.”

Regina’s mouth dropped open, causing Snow to grin at her and Zelena to cackle. “What do you mean, with me?”

“Just that. You two are married in her dream world.” He turned to Zelena. “And before you get too carried away laughing, you should know that you tried to drag me to your evil lair to sleep with you.”

Zelena’s cackle died down to a smirk. “That does sound like me. What was your response?”

“Well, I woke up before I could answer you, but hey it’s a big TARDIS, if you’re interested.”

They were interrupted by the sound of the Doctor smacking his hand down on the console. “Enough! Before this goes any further, I need to know where you got psychic pollen.”

“You gave it to me.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Uh, yeah. You did.”

“No, I really didn’t Jack.”

The women all looked at each other in disbelief. “Men are idiots,” Zelena muttered. “They’ll do this all day.”

Donna waved a hand in the Doctor’s face. “Oi! Spaceman! Maybe it hasn’t happened for you yet.”

“I knew that,” the Doctor said.

Donna rolled her eyes at him. “For a super genius, you are downright thick sometimes, you know?”

“Wait a minute,” said Snow. “If you haven’t given it to him yet, how did you know to give it him?”

The Doctor looked at her as though she were a complete moron. “He just told me about it,” he said, speaking slowly as if this would make this all easier to understand. She nodded, but still looked confused.

“Jack,” he said, holding his hand out. “Date and planet, please.” Jack handed over his Vortex Manipulator and the Doctor programmed it with his Sonic Screwdriver for the date and planet that Jack gave him.

Zelena’s face lit up. “What is that?” she asked pointing at the buzzing screwdriver. “Let me see it. That would make a great vibrator.”

“Right?” said Jack. He smiled at Zelena as they high fived.

Regina had been following along as best as she could, but something still needed clarification. “Hang on a second. If you only knew to give him the pollen because he just told you about it now, that means that at the time you gave it to him-“

Realization dawned on Jack at that moment as well. They both looked over at the Doctor who was beaming proudly at them.

“You knew I would fail.”

“Failure is relative, Jack. You failed at waking her, yes, but you never had a chance at waking her. That wasn’t really what I needed you to do.”

\--------------------------------------------------------

**_Emma buried her face in the horse’s hair and sobbed. She had hoped that a ride would get Regina talking to her again. Instead, Regina had gotten angrier and angrier before finally snapping at Emma to go to Hook if she needed attention that badly._ **

**_Her fear at being that Lost Girl that didn’t belong anywhere was taking over her mind, acting as a homing beacon for Zellin’s power. He scrambled around in her mind and Emma could swear that she could hear Ash screaming in pain. She tried to force him out of her mind and spoke to Ash silently._ **

**_‘Hang on. Regina is coming.’_ **

**_Zellin seized the thought. “Yes, Regina is your home, isn’t she?”_ **

**_Emma tried to ignore him as she pushed the message through to Ash again. ‘Regina_ will _come.’_**

**_“Regina is already here, Emma.” Zellin’s voice sounded soothing and she fought the urge to give into his power with all her might._ **

**_“Regina is here, and she hates you, doesn’t she? She is supposed to be home, but she is pushing you away. You don’t belong with her. You don’t belong anywhere.”_ **

**_The lines between the Regina she created in her mind and the Regina she believed with all her might was coming for her began to blur and suddenly she wasn’t sure she could tell them apart anymore._ **

**_“Submit to me, Emma,” he continued in the same soft voice. “Submit to me and it will all make sense again. Regina will love you again. You will belong again.”_ **

**_Emma’s eyes began to close. She just wanted this to end. She wanted Regina to hold her again, as though she would never let go. It would be so easy, just accept that this was her reality now._ **

**_As her eyes drifted shut, she pictured Ash’s face as she confessed her fear that Zellin would break her. With a mighty shout, she forced him from her mind._ **

**_‘Hang on, Ash. Regina_ will _come.”_**

\------------------------------------------------------------------

“What did you need me to do?” Jack asked the Doctor.

“I haven’t the slightest clue. Which means someone else here does.”

“This is ridiculous,” Zelena muttered.

Donna shrugged. “You get used to it, believe it or not.”

Regina thought hard, processing all that had happened. “Can you tell me more about this trance?”

“Um, sure. Well, physically Emma is completely unresponsive, and her mind is completely contained within this alternate reality.”

“Is she aware that she is dreaming?” asked Regina.

Jack frowned, thinking it over. “I’m not exactly sure, truthfully. She wasn’t when I got there, I know that much.”

“And now?”

“I told her, but I am not sure how much she remembers now that I am gone.”

A smile began to form on Regina’s face. “Did she believe you?”

“Not at first, no.”

“But then she did?” Regina asked, excitement building in her voice.

“I think so, yes. Unfortunately, I woke up before she could tell me for sure.”

Regina took Jack’s hands and squeezed them. “Thank you, Jack.”

He looked her, puzzled. “What for?”

The Doctor sat with his arms folded, watching as Regina put it together. She turned to Snow and Zelena.

“Don’t you see? It’s a sleeping curse!”

“Where would Zellin get a sleeping curse, Regina?” asked Snow.

“I have no idea, but that is what he did to Emma, I’m sure of it. Doctor, do other worlds have curses?”

“In a manner of speaking.” The Doctor had stood up by then and was punching various buttons around the console. “Some of the elements that exist in the Enchanted Forest also exist in other galaxies. They are mixed differently, and they are not really called curses. But yes, it is conceivable Zellin could have concocted something similar to a sleeping curse, particularly if he has made a study of Storybrooke.”

“I knew it! Jack, you weren’t sent to wake Emma up. You were sent to make her believe.”

Jack looked confused, but Zelena spoke up. “Believe me, my sister knows what she is talking about. She is, like, the Queen of curses.”

Regina rolled her eyes at her sister and turned back the Time Agent. “Jack, curses can’t be broken without belief. It is part of what makes them so dangerous.”

“You know what this means, don’t you, Regina?” asked Snow.

“Yes. We need True Love’s Kiss. We should have brought Henry with us.”

Zelena and Snow burst out laughing at that. “You really are an idiot, sis.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Even Donna was chuckling now. Regina looked around, frustrated. “What the hell is so funny?”

Snow took pity on her and sat her down, holding her hands. “Regina, sweetie. You have put your life on hold twice now to search the world for her. Hell, the whole universe.”

“So did you.”

“I’m her mother, Regina.”

“I’m her-“

“Her what?” Regina didn’t answer.

“You never were the quickest study, sis, so let me clue you in. You and Emma have been in love for years.”

Regina opened her mouth to protest, but then frowned, thinking about it.

_She’s not dying._

_Maybe you aren’t. But maybe WE are._

_With you, Regina, I always know when you’re lying._

_Thanks for trying Miss Swan._

_You’ve come too far to have your happiness destroyed!_

_I know you Emma. It took a long time, but I really know you._

Slowly her eyes widened.

_‘I’m in love with Emma.”_

A grin spread over her face.

_‘I’m in love with Emma!’_

She snapped out of her trance to find them all grinning at her. She blushed hotly and shook her head.

“Doctor, we need to find her. Now.”

He looked up from what he was doing at the controls. “Well, it may have escaped your notice, but while you were figuring out your love life, I was tracking the light signals from the ropes that are binding Emma and tracing them back to their source. Or did you think we were just floating aimlessly around space all this time?”

Regina nodded, moving restlessly around the control room.

‘ _Hang on, Emma. I’m coming.’_


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Regina finally reunite!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are nearing the end of this tale. 1 more chapter and an epilogue, both of which may well be posted tonight.

Regina wasn’t sure if the TARDIS was supposed to land quite so roughly or if the Doctor just wasn’t the best pilot, but this latest landing left her head rattling. Heart pounding, she looked at the TARDIS door, worried about what she would see on the other side.

“You coming?” She glanced up to see the group departing the TARDIS.

“Yes, give me a minute.” She gave Snow her best reassuring smile, but once she was alone, she put her hand on her chest and took several shallow breaths.

 _‘You can do this,’_ she ordered herself, but try as she might, she could not seem to control her breathing and now there was nausea rising in her stomach too.

 _‘You are a_ Queen. _Get a hold of yourself.’_

She tried to slow her breathing in order to calm the fluttering in her stomach, but it continued to come in short rapid gasps. Desperately, she looked around for something that would settle her nerves but found nothing.

“There’s a basin behind the console, if you need to throw up.”

Gasping, she whirled around to see Donna, arms folded, at the entrance to the control room. She tried to glare at her, but given that she could barely breathe, she doubted that it was effective.

“Sit down, Regina,” Donna said, shoving her into a nearby chair. “You can’t kiss Emma if you pass out. Lower your head. There you go.”

Donna watched for a few moments in silence as Regina sat with her head between her legs and tried to regain control of her breathing. “You know,” she said. “I met the Doctor a long time before we started traveling.”

There was no indication that the woman was even listening, but Donna figured she wasn’t yelling at her to shut up and that had to be a good sign.

“We first met on my wedding day,” she continued, voice conversational and calm, as though Regina were not about to try to awaken the love of her life from a 4-year coma. Clearing her throat, Regina tried to speak.

“I didn’t know you were married.”

“Oh, I’m not, but that’s a story for another day. Don’t let me forget to tell you about it though, it’s a good one. Well, assuming you like stories with giant spider people in them.”

Regina tried for a laugh, but it came out as a strangled cough instead as she continued to try to calm down. “Can’t say that I do, no.”

“Oh, well that’s all right. Anyway, after it was over the Doctor asked if I wanted to travel with him and I said no. Biggest regret of my life.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, because when you have a once in a lifetime opportunity, you don’t pass it up. I’m guessing you have a bit of experience in that area.”

Regina nodded and Donna continued her story. “I was too stupid to recognize it back then and then I had to spend years searching for the Doctor after. Imagine spending your life searching for a tiny blue box that literally travels the Cosmos.”

“How did you find him?”

“Oh, well that’s another fun story for the future. But when I did find him, I was so scared I almost fainted.” She laughed, remembering, but Regina wasn’t smiling.

“Why are you telling me this, Donna?”

“The reason I was so afraid was because I thought I had missed my chance. I thought too much time had passed and he didn’t see me the same way anymore. Stop me if any of this is starting to feel familiar.”

Regina considered her response carefully. “It’s not the same, though.”

“Isn’t it? Listen, Regina. You’re a queen who leads thousands and you’ve probably faced down enemies most could only imagine. I’ve only stared down my mother and believe me that’s enough. But for both of us, the thing we’re most frightened of is opening up to the people we’re closest to.”

There was no denying the truth in that, so Regina didn’t try. Instead, she attempted to regulate her breathing again and found that Donna’s story had distracted her enough to calm down.

“I must admit that I didn’t expect it to be you to stay behind with me. Thank you,” she said.

The redhead laughed. “Well, I’m full of surprises.”

Regina stood to leave, Donna following close behind. They joined the group that was huddled a few feet away from the TARDIS, planning their strategy. Snow looked up at the two of them.

“Nice of you to join us.”

Regina rolled her eyes, but Snow wasn’t fooled. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” she whispered. “But I need to talk to you. Come here and hurry up.”

The two stood a few feet away from the group. “What’s up, Regina?”

“Give me your quiver,” she replied. “Hurry.”

Snow looked confused but handed over her arrows. “Why do you need them?”

Ignoring the question, Regina pulled the arrows from the quiver and waved a hand over them, mumbling a quick incantation as she did.

“There,” she said, handing them back.

“Thank you. Did you enchant them like Robin’s old arrows? So they don’t miss?”

“No, that enchantment was on the bow, not the arrows,” she replied. “My understanding is you don’t miss, correct?”

Snow nodded. “Not when it matters. What enchantment did you give them, then?”

“It’s a paralyzing spell,” she explained. “As long as one of those arrows is in its target, they will not be able to move. We can’t kill Zellin and we probably can’t really hurt him, either. We’re going to have to try and trap him.”

Snow nodded and they rejoined the group, in time to hear the Doctor explain the plan. “The sonic screwdriver traced the source of the light signal further into the prison, about a ½ mile down,” he said. “Regina, you obviously need to go with that group. You’re going to lead half the team down there and find Emma. The rest of will stay here to keep watch for Zellin and make sure he doesn’t escape.”

Regina nodded. “Zelena you stay back here in case magic is needed to stop Zellin. Snow, you’ve got the bow, so you should stay as well.”

“Guess that means Jack and I are with you,” Donna said.

“Looks that way. Doctor, where are you going to go?”

“I’m going to explore the rest of prison. I really need to find a clue about the identity of the Zellin’s partner. Your mission might be done when we find Emma, but mine is far from over.”

Regina looked around the group to make sure they were all on the same page. “If we are not back in 1 hour, get back in the TARDIS and get out of here.”

Snow opened her mouth to protest, but Regina ignored her. “I wasn’t talking to you,” she interrupted. “Doctor, if something happens to us, you get my family out of here. Find a safe planet to land on and regroup.”

“You have my word, Your Majesty,” he replied. “But understand that I _will_ come back for you. I don’t abandon my companions.” Jack looked as though he had plenty to say about that, but the Doctor was looking towards Donna as he spoke. “I will not abandon you, Donna. I promise.”

Donna nodded and they were at last ready to go. They walked in silence for a time, until Donna spoke.

“Jack, what did you want to say while the Doctor was talking?” she asked.

Jack hesitated, but ultimately answered her. “The Doctor abandoned me, a long time ago,” he admitted with a sigh. Regina turned back to glance at him but did not comment. 

“It was to save someone he really cared about. Someone he loved, even if he can’t admit that. I’ve forgiven him, but-“

“But you don’t trust him,” Donna finished for him.

“Not completely, no. But I also believed he’s changed since then. He won’t leave you alone, Donna. It’s not something you have to worry about.”

Regina put her hand up to silence them. “I think we’re here,” she said.

Jack pulled out a gun and Regina’s eyes widened. Jack shrugged at her look. “Zellin may be immortal, but he could have guards that are not. The Doctor is firmly against guns, but I am not quite so noble.”

“Jack and I will keep watch. You go find Emma,” Donna said, effectively ending the conversation.

Regina nodded and crept ahead. It wasn’t long before she stopped.

“Emma!” she cried out. Donna and Jack heard her and ran over to join her as she stood in front of Emma, suspended in mid-air with ropes made of light, eyes closed.

“Jack, I’m going to release the ropes. Be ready to catch her,” she ordered. Jack holstered his gun and ran over to the blonde.

“I’m ready,” he said.

Regina raised her arms and let her magic flow through her fingertips, attacking the light ropes. The ropes blinked but did not disappear.

“What’s wrong?” Donna asked.

“I don’t have enough magic. Those ropes are pure light energy and my magic isn’t strong enough to break them,” Regina released another blast of magic, but this time she was frustrated and instead of attacking the ropes it bounced around the corridor they were standing in.

“Watch it!” Donna shouted.

“I’m sorry.” Regina stopped to try and catch her breath, but frustration was still clearly evident on her face.

“Do you need me to go get Zelena?” asked Jack

“No. No, just give me a minute.”

She closed her eyes and focused her mind. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her mind to travel to all the times she and Emma had combined their magic, strengthening it far past what either one of them should be able to do.

Reigniting a portal inside a magic hat.

Destroying a diamond that would decimate their town.

Creating an eclipse in Neverland.

Fighting a snow monster.

Opening the library door in the Underworld.

One by one, she allowed those images to pass through her head in succession, focusing on them until she could feel the tingle of Emma’s magic join her own. Opening her eyes, she directed a steady stream of magic towards the ropes, aiming for the point at which they attached to the ceiling.

Slowly, the ropes began to blink again and then fade altogether. Jack grabbed Emma as the ropes holding her up faded away and gently lowered her to the ground, laying her on her back.

“I’ve got her!” he said.

Regina stopped the stream of magic and ran over to them. Tears in her eyes, she knelt over Emma, silently drinking her in.

 _“I’m so sorry I took so long to find you,”_ she thought. _“I love you.”_

She sat there for a few moments, cradling Emma’s head in her arms, crying silently. Jack and Donna gave her some time, but eventually Donna put her hand on her back.

“Regina,” she said. “You need to either try to wake her or we need to carry her back to the TARDIS. We can’t continue to stay here, it’s too dangerous.”

Regina nodded, sniffling. She released Emma’s head, lowering it gently back to the ground.

“You can do this,” Donna whispered.

Kneeling at Emma’s side, she bent her head and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

For a moment, nothing happened. Regina waited, holding her breath. Just as she was about to give up and order Jack to carry to Emma back to the rest of the group, a bright light spread throughout the room.

“Regina?” the voice that came from Emma was quiet and unsure.

Half laughing, half crying, Regina collapsed on top of her. Emma sat up and put her arms around the brunette.

“Emma,” she said, over and over, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

Emma pulled back and traced a hand on Regina’s face. “It’s really you,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around her again.

“I love you,” Regina said, still crying. “God, I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”


	10. Chapter 10

Regina refused to let Emma out of her arms, so the two walked hand in hand back to the TARDIS.

“Ready to see your mother?”

Emma stopped walking for a moment. “My mother is here?”

“Just up ahead. Are you going to be ok?”

Emma swallowed hard. “Is…is she mad at me?”

“Of course not! Why would she be mad at you?”

“I don’t understand why _you’re_ not mad at me, honestly. I put you in an impossible position, telling you not to come after me.”

Regina pulled her into her arms and held her tight. “There was never any chance of that,” she said emphatically. “Never, ever.”

“I know,” Emma said, nodding in agreement. “I told him that, but he didn’t listen.”

“Told who? Zellin?” At Emma’s nod, Regina growled. “Tell me what happened.”

“Later,” Emma promised. “Zellin will be able to feel that I’m gone and he’ll be any second. We can’t let my mom face him alone.”

“Zelena is with her. But if he captured you, he won’t have any trouble with Zelena. You’re right, we need to hurry.”

They looked at each other and nodded. Regina grabbed Donna, just as Emma snagged Jack and pulled him close. Waving their wrists in unison, all four disappeared in a cloud of purple and white smoke.

When they appeared in the main chamber of the prison, Snow dropped her bow and ran to her daughter with a gasp. She threw her arms around her, whispering her name, but when she showed no signs of letting her go, Emma pulled back.

“I love you Mom. We can do this later, but right now we need to find Zellin.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” called Zelena from her watch position at the entrance of the prison. “Something’s coming.” The group all turned in her direction and her eyes fell on Emma.

“Savior,” she said, smirking.

“Witch,” Emma replied dryly. They glared at each other for a moment before Zelena pulled her in for a brief hug.

“It’s good to see you, Savior. Don’t abandon my sister again. You’re too pretty to want to kill, but that doesn’t mean I won’t”

“Understood. Zellin?”

Zelena pointed to the entrance of the prison where a cloud of black smoke was materializing in front of them. As the smoke disappeared, the ugliness of the creature standing in front of them shocked them all with the exception of Emma and Jack.

“Snow!” yelled Regina, throwing the bow at her former stepdaughter.

“Not today,” hissed Zellin and the bow fell harmlessly to the floor. He raised a hand and four of his fingers separated from it.

“Now, shall we see what sort of nightmares you are all hiding?” The fingers flew towards them, one lodging in the forehead of Jack, Donna, Zelena and Snow. Instantly, they all fell down, unconscious.

“What’s going on?”

“He’s trying to find their fear. He feeds on it, steals them from people’s psyches. I’m guessing he already has everything he needs from me,” Emma explained. She put her hand on Regina’s wrist. “He’s afraid of you. That’s why he didn’t try to attack you.”

Regina glanced back at the Immortal. Sure enough, he was keeping a safe distance away from them.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. But I know you can defeat him.”

She took a deep breath, steadying her magic inside of her. “Together?” she asked.

Emma shook her head. “I’m sorry. He’s been in my head for too long.”

“What does that mean?” Regina asked.

Emma looked away from her, ashamed. “I’m afraid,” she confessed. “It has to be you. I’m so sorry.”

Regina nodded and raised her arms for a blast of magic.

“No you don’t,” Zellin snarled. She was knocked back and landed on her back with a thud. Unable to move for a moment, she watched helplessly as he walked towards Emma. Terrified, she took a step back.

He advanced towards her slowly as she backed up as far as she could. “You didn’t really think you could escape me that easily, did you?” he hissed. He raised his other hand and a finger separated from it.

“Enough!” shouted Regina. To her surprise, Zellin stopped moving and Emma ran to the other side of the room. “Stay away from my family!” She stood up and this time Zellin was the one that took the step back. With each step she took in his direction, she could feel his power weakening. By the time she reached him, Emma had regained enough courage to stand by her side and the rest of the group was beginning to stir.

She glanced at Emma again and this time the blonde nodded. Together, they raised their arms and twin blasts of magic shot forth, knocking him down.

“Any idea what to do with him?” asked Emma.

“Not a clue, although I would give my crown to kill him,” grumbled Regina. She kicked at him and to her surprise, he only lifted his head weakly before laying it back down again with a groan.

“Your presence is weakening him.” They both turned to see the Doctor striding up to them.

“I’m the Doctor. You must be Emma,” he said. “Truly a pleasure to meet you. Nicely done, by the way,” he said to both of them, nodding at Zellin.

“Why do I weaken him?” asked Regina, confused.

“Good question. I’ll explain in a minute, but for right now, we need to get him to the back chamber.”

Emma and Regina pulled him to his feet and dragged him back to the room he had used to hold Emma captive. When they got there, the Doctor used the sonic screwdriver to reactivate the light signal and imprisoned Zellin in the same fashion as they had found Emma.

“What do you want to do with him, Your Majesty?” the Doctor asked.

Ignoring the question, she advanced on him. “You hurt Emma. Why?” she demanded.

“Because it was fun,” replied Zellin, laughing at her.

“Answer me!” she shouted, shooting a blast of magic at him.

He groaned in pain. “I needed her fear! Her nightmares had the ability to fuel me for centuries.”

Regina shook her head. “Why her and not me? I’ve lived decades longer than her and seen far more horror.”

The Doctor put a hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to lower her hand. “You handle your fear differently than Emma. She pushes it down deep into her psyche so that she can exist without being paralyzed by it.” He looked at Emma for confirmation and she nodded.

“That is what most people do,” the Doctor continued. “They push their fear down into their subconscious and it manifests into nightmares, which Zellin feeds on.”

“What do I do, then?”

“You, Regina? You use your fear. You don’t hide from it, you embrace it. You turn it into anger and let it fuel you. Instead of being a food source for Zellin, your fear becomes a weapon you use against him. He never stood a chance against you.”

Regina turned to Emma, whose eyes shone in pride. “My Hot Tempered Queen,” she said tenderly. “I always knew that anger of yours would come in handy one day.” She grabbed Regina and kissed her.

After a moment, Regina pulled away. “How did he manage to hold you here for so long?” she asked. “What were you so afraid of?”

“He said he would attack Storybrooke. That he would take Hope prisoner,” Emma explained. “I agreed to stay here if he left her alone.”

Regina’s eyes flashed in fury as she turned to Zellin. “You threatened my daughter?” she thundered and if a man being held by ropes made of light could shrink back, he would have. She blasted him with magic over and over again until he begged her for mercy.

“Regina!” the Doctor shouted. “Believe it or not, Zellin is not the real enemy here. We’re up against something much worse. Save your magic.”

Regina nodded. “Zellin the Eternal,” she proclaimed. “I sentence you to an eternity in the prison of your making. You will not be able to feed so you will starve, but neither will you be able to die. I am placing a cloaking spell around the prison so no one will ever find it.”

With that, they turned to go, leaving Zellin behind them.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

As the TARDIS prepared to take off, Regina watched Emma closely. She was talking with Snow, but Regina could see how overwhelmed and tired she was feeling. She met Donna’s eyes and the redhead tilted her head towards a corridor to the left of the control room.

“Third door on the left is a bedroom,” she said.

Regina led Emma away from the console. “Do not conceive a baby in my TARDIS!” called out the Doctor as they left. “A product of True Love conceived near the heart of an active TARDIS would be far too powerful for this universe.”

Regina blushed furiously as she pulled Emma towards the bedroom. Inside, she encouraged Emma to lie down. The blonde complied, but then opened her arms for Regina to join her. Allowing herself to relax for the first time in 4 years, Regina sank into Emma’s arms

“I knew you would find me,” whispered Emma as she stroked Regina’s hair.

“I’m sorry it took so long,” she said, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

Emma reached up and brushed the tear away. “No,” she insisted. “It doesn’t matter how long it took. I would have waited forever without ever giving up hope that you were coming.”

They laid cuddled in each other’s arms, eyes closed, enjoying each other’s presence with soft touches. “Regina?”

Regina opened her eyes. “Hmm?”

“Remember in Neverland when you tried to teach me to tap into my anger to access my magic? Do you think this would have happened if I let you show me how to do that?”

Regina sat up. “You’re giving me too much credit,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong, weaponizing my fear came in handy, but it also came at a terrible price. You stay just the way you are.”

“But-“

Regina silenced her with a kiss. “You and me, Emma? We’re balance. Light and Dark. Yin and Yang. Good and-“

“Don’t you dare say it,” Emma threatened.

“I was going to say misguided.”

“You were not!” Emma attacked her sides, letting her hands dance up and down her ribs. Instantly, Regina burst into laughter and she tried to squirm out of Emma’s arms.

“Emma! Stop!” she squealed in laughter.

“What the hell was that sound?” laughed Emma. “I’ve never heard you make that noise before. Was that a squeal?”

Regina tried to pull Emma’s hands from her sides as she laughed harder. “Please stop!” she begged.

“Tell me what you were really going to say,” demanded Emma.

“Ok, ok,” she agreed. Emma removed her hands and Regina caught her breath.

“Don’t you ever do that again,” she threatened.

“I’m not making any promises. Now what were you going to say?”

“Evil. I was going to say evil.”

“You’re not evil.” Regina looked away. “Look at me, Regina. You’re not evil.”

“Let’s talk about something else,” Regina suggested, but Emma shook her head.

“Tell me you know you’re not evil or I’ll tickle you again.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “Is this how it’s going be from now on?” she asked.

“Regina,” she said threateningly.

“Ok, fine. I’m not evil.”

Satisfied, Emma laid back down, but this time her breathing sounded labored instead of relaxed. Confused, Regina looked at her in concern. “Emma? What is it?”

Emma shook her head. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Don’t give me that. Won’t you tell me what’s wrong?” Emma turned to face her, unconvinced.

“Please?” she asked.

“I was…I was just so scared,” Emma confessed. “Yeah, I was in a dream world most of the time, but before that and then again once Jack made me realize it was fake, I was so scared.”

Regina held her close, but remained quiet, sensing there was more.

“I was afraid I would never see you or Hope again. I was afraid I would never get to tell you that I love you.” With that, the woman who was always ready for a fight, the insanely strong warrior princess, began to cry. She shook in Regina’s arms, deep sobs ripping from her chest.

Regina just continued to hold her, allowing her to cry without making the silly noises or murmuring the comforting nonsense words people so often say when faced with tears. When the blonde finally began to still, she removed her arms and placed one finger under her chin, tilting it upwards until their eyes met.

“I’m here now,” she whispered. “I will never leave you or let you go again.”

“Does Hope hate me? Does she even know who I am?”

“I’ll thank you not to insult me, Miss Swan,” Regina snapped, finally getting a laugh out of her. “Of course, Hope doesn’t hate you. I tell her stories about you all the time and your pictures are everywhere in the castle. She’s always believed you would come home one day.”

“She knows I love her, doesn’t she?” she asked, unconsciously mimicking Regina’s words from down in the mines so many years ago.

Regina nodded emphatically. “She does. I tell her every day. She even warned me not to bother coming home without you when I told her I was going to look for you again.”

A knock on the door interrupted them and Emma looked up in panic. Placing a reassuring hand on her arm, Regina waved her other hand to rid Emma’s face of the evidence of her tears. Smiling in thanks, Emma went to open the door.

“Sorry to interrupt your snogging,” Zelena said.

Regina rolled her eyes. “What do you want, Zelena?”

“The Doctor says we’re about to land,” She replied. “Come on.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

When they entered the console room, the Doctor was deep in conversation with Jack and Donna.

“Where are we, Doctor?” asked Regina.

“We’re in London. I’ve figured out who was behind the plot to separate you two.”

“You mean it wasn’t Zellin?” interrupted Emma.

“No, Zellin was a pawn. He went along with it because he was tempted by your vast….um array of experiences, but he did not come up with the idea.”

The Doctor waited until they all sat down and gave him their full attention. “I first suspected the Master when Ianto said it was an old friend of mine,” he began.

“Excuse me, the _what?_ asked Zelena.

“The Master. He and I were best friends for many years on Gallifrey before he went mad. You see, every Time Lord is made to look into the Time Vortex as a child so that they can understand the laws of time.”

“That’s barbaric!” Snow protested.

“Perhaps,” he said. “The Time Lords were not known as a compassionate race. The Master looked into the Vortex and it made him go mad. He has been hell bent on universal domination ever since. I first suspected him when we spoke to Ianto, as I said, but I confirmed it in Zellin’s prison.”

“I don’t understand,” Regina argued. “We don’t even know him. Why would he want to kidnap Emma?”

“As I explained earlier, Your Majesty, your relationship with Emma reaches far into the future, setting up human empires throughout the galaxies. If I had to place a guess, I would say that the Master found a time in the future that was vulnerable to one of his attacks and was trying to prevent the humans from becoming strong enough to stop him.”

A maniacal cackle interrupted the Doctor and they all turned around. “Always the clever one, aren’t you, old friend?”

“Don’t do this,” the Doctor pleaded. The Master laughed at him

“Oh, Doctor. Don’t you know that half the fun of these little adventures is hearing you beg me not to do them?”

Regina raised her arms, but before she could release any magic, the Master grabbed Zelena.

“Temper, temper, Your Majesty,” he teased. “Zellin may have been afraid of it, but I just find it fascinating. Best learn how to control it or you can say goodbye to your sister.”

Regina growled, but put her arms down. She saw Emma try to sneak behind the Master and desperately tried to keep him talking.

“I get why you needed to separate me and Emma. But surely you didn’t need Zellin’s help with that. What was the point of using him?”

“To make you suffer, of course. You used to be so deliciously evil until you got a conscience. I wanted to see if seeing your love suffer would revert you back to form. Oh, and Savior, you can stop creeping behind my back.”

Emma froze, but before the Master could grab her, Regina shot a blast of magic towards the ceiling. Distracted for a second, the Master stumbled when Emma hit him and he released his hold on Zelena. Instantly, Snow notched an arrow in her bow.

“Zelena! Duck!” she shouted and fired the arrow. It hit the Master in the leg, and he fell to the ground, unable to move.

“Excellent,” Regina sneered. “Now I can kill him once and for all.”

“Wait!” shouted the Doctor. “I know what he’s done. But please, Regina, don’t kill him.”

Regina exchanged a glance with Emma, who indicated with her eyes that she would leave the decision in Regina’s hands.

“He was my friend once,” the Doctor pleaded. “I can’t just stand by and watch you kill him. I am going to have to try to stop you. Please, don’t make me do that.”

Regina nodded and bent over the Master. She reached into his chest and pulled out a heart. Walking back to the Doctor, she placed it in his hands.

“What did you do?” the Doctor asked.

“I took one of his hearts. Now he has one, which, if I understand correctly, means he cannot regenerate anymore.”

“I’m human?” asked the Master in disgust. “No! Kill me!”

Regina ignored him. “I’m giving his heart to you, Doctor. You do with it as you see fit. He is your responsibility now.”

The Doctor nodded. “I understand.

Regina walked back to Emma and took her in her arms. “Now,” she said. “Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's our story. A short epilogue is up next to wrap it all up.


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clearly, I failed at making this a humor fic, but I hope you will all forgive me for it. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> TW: Major character death. But its not too tragic. At least, I don't think so.

_Storybrooke, 2025_

When the TARDIS touched down in front of Regina’s castle, the group looked at each other, unable to believe that their adventure was at last over. The Doctor cleared his throat.

“Everybody out,” he said,

They disembarked and Regina turned to the Doctor. “Why don’t you stay a while? Even if it is just for tonight.”

“I really wish we could. But I’ve got to go take care of him,” the Doctor replied, gesturing towards the TARDIS where the Master was imprisoned.

Regina nodded her understanding. “What are you going to do with him?”

“There are intergalactic law enforcement agencies that are equipped to deal with him. He will be handled; you don’t need to worry about it.”

They walked slowly towards the castle, Regina and Emma holding hands. Before they reached the entrance, Regina stopped and turned to her new friends. “I suppose we need to say goodbye, then.”

“Before we do that, there is still one more thing to take care of.” At Regina’s confused look, the Doctor clarified. “You promised that you and Emma would take a forgetting potion, remember?”

She did, but she really did not like the idea. Her distaste, though, was nothing compared to Emma’s.

“Um, excuse me? I’m not taking a forgetting potion.”

The Doctor sighed. “I thought you might fight me on this,” he said. “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice, Emma. You and Regina know far too much about the future for it to be safe. Forgetting all of this is the only way to ensure that humans go on to have the future they are meant to.”

Regina considered this for a moment. “In order for humans to spread through the galaxies, we just need to ensure that Emma and I stay together, right?”

The Doctor nodded. “Yes, but it’s not that simple.”

“Oh, I disagree, Doctor. It can be as simple as we want it to be.” To everyone’s shock, she took a deep breath and dropped to one knee.

“Emma Swan,” she began. “You are the bright spot in my life. Losing you was the worst thing that ever happened to me and I don’t want to ever go through that again.” She smiled then, the beautiful smile that had fueled Emma’s dream world. Emma’s eyes filled with tears as Regina continued.

“You’ve given me the gift of 2 beautiful children, and you rescued me from the Darkness that I thought I was a slave to forever. I love you Emma and I don’t want to live another day without you by my side.”

She closed her eyes then and used her magic to call forth the ring that Cora had left with her before she died. Holding it up, she said, “Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

Unable to speak, Emma just nodded, and the two women fell into each other’s arms. The Doctor watched, bemused, until Donna poked him.

“Don’t be a stick in the mud, Doctor. Give them this one.”

At last, the Doctor nodded. “All right,” he agreed. “But if I find the timeline is still messed up, I’ll be back. And I don’t need memory potion to make you forget.” He stood back to watch the celebration.

Snow grabbed her daughter in a hug, before pulling back and taking a ring off her of her right hand. “It belonged to my mother,” she explained, handing it over to Emma.

She put the ring on Regina’s finger, but before they could embrace again, Snow pushed Emma out of the way to pull Regina into her arms. “Looks like you were right,” she said.

“About what?”

“You’re not my mother.” Confused, Regina stared at her and she explained. “You’re my daughter.”

Regina rolled her eyes, but hugged Snow back. Later, she would have to threaten to fireball anyone that mentioned the tears in her eyes as she held her former nemesis, but for now she just allowed herself to enjoy the moment. “Gods help anyone that tries to map out this messed up family tree,” she muttered.

The celebration was interrupted by a flurry of activity from the castle. Emma froze when she saw the blonde little girl run out into the courtyard.

“Hope,” she whispered. She tried to move towards her but found her feet wouldn’t move. Regina grabbed her hand.

“It’s going to be ok,” she reassured her.

As though backing up her statement, Hope broke into a run, rushing towards them. Emma opened her arms, and the little girl flew into them hugging her around the neck tightly. Regina put her arms around both of them, then opened her embrace to include Henry, Jacinda and Lucy who were half a step behind Hope.

 _“My family,”_ she thought. _“It doesn’t get any more perfect than this.”_

\-------------------------------------------

_Storybrooke University, New Earth, 2058_

“What are we doing here?” Donna asked.

“Checking on the timeline,” replied the Doctor. He nodded to the professor that was wrapping up a lecture. “Recognize her?”

Dr. Hope Swan-Mills turned off the holographic projector she had been using as a visual aid. “That’s all for today. Before tomorrow, be sure to read the next 3 chapters of your text which will explain the chemical properties of True Love’s Kiss.” She smiled to herself, recalling that she had written her dissertation on the topic.

When the class departed, Hope sat down and looked towards the back of the lecture hall. “You can come out now,” she said.

The Doctor and Donna made their way towards her. “Do you remember us?” he asked.

“Only vaguely. But my mothers always said you would show up one day.”

The Doctor nodded. “I was so sorry to hear about Her Majesty’s passing,” he said.

“Thank you. She went peacefully in her sleep last year. My mother was with her.”

“How is Emma holding up?”

“She is sad, obviously. But she and Regina had 32 years together and I think she is holding on to that. She lives with my niece, Lucy, now.”

“Your mothers were… are, remarkable people,” the Doctor commented, and Hope smiled.

“Yes,” she agreed. “But that’s not why you’re here. I know you are here to check on the timeline.”

The Doctor laughed. “Right to the point,” he said. “You get that from your mother.”

“Which one?”

“Both, actually. Shall we go into the TARDIS?”

Hope’s mouth dropped open she examined the control room. “This is unbelievable,” she said.

The Doctor walked over to his computer and began to study it. “It is, isn’t it?” he said absently as he read the screen.

“Satisfied?”

“I was before we even got here,” he said. “Your mothers aren’t the only ones to lead remarkable lives. Yours is pretty amazing as well.”

Hope ducked her head in modesty as the Doctor shook his head in amazement. “You received your doctorate before your 25th birthday. Headed up one of the first space exploration missions to ever leave the Milky Way galaxy and discover a habitable planet. Helped establish Storybrooke University, marking the first human university in outer space. You should be proud of yourself, Hope.”

“Thank you,” she said. “But I’m not done yet.”

“No, you’re not. You were always destined to be the one to bring magic to the stars. Good for you.”

“Then you won’t go back and erase my mothers’ memories?” She held her breath as the Doctor shook his head.

“No. I don’t have to do that,” he said, smiling at Hope’s relieved sigh. “Can I offer you a ride somewhere?”

Hope shook her head. “I have to prepare for tomorrow’s lesson,” she explained. “Besides, I have had enough of space travel for a while.”

She departed the TARDIS and waved goodbye as the pair departed.

“Where to next, Doctor?” asked Donna as the Doctor punched in their destination.

“One more stop,” he replied.

\------------------------------------------------

_Storybrooke, 2058_

“Emma?”

Emma looked up from her spot at Regina’s grave to see the Doctor and Donna walking towards her.

“Doctor! Donna!” She exclaimed in surprise.

“We came to pay our respects to the Queen.”

Emma nodded and accepted the hug Donna offered her. “I miss her so much,” she confessed.

“I know,” the Doctor said. He remained silent as Donna placed a rose on Regina’s headstone.

“Goodbye, my friend,” she whispered. “Thank you for teaching me to believe in magic.”

“Doctor?” asked Emma. “Do you think? Could I…I see her? Just one more time?”

The Doctor shook his head. “I’m sorry, Emma,” he said gently. “I wish I could. It just doesn’t work that way.”

Emma shrugged, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. “I know,” she said. “It is just so hard to live without her.”

The Doctor glanced over at Donna who was glaring at him menacingly over Emma’s shoulder as she hugged her again.

“All right,” he relented. “One short visit and you have to stay in the TARDIS. Watching only, no talking or interfering.”

Emma nodded eagerly. “I promise.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_Storybrooke, 2026_

“Do you, Regina Mills, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do,” the Queen replied.

Tears flowing down her cheeks again, Emma reached blindly for Donna’s hand. She remembered this day so clearly. Though they had both already lived decades and had fought so many monsters, everything about that day had felt new and fresh, like the start of a brand-new life.

“Do you, Emma Swan, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Emma watched her younger self beam up at Regina. Unconsciously, she mouthed words along with her.

“I do.”

“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you married. You may kiss the bride.”

The two reached for each other as the TARDIS departed. As though by some unforeseen force, Regina glanced up to see it fly away. She smiled as it left, then returned her attention to her new wife.

“I love you, Emma Swan-Mills.”

“I love you, Regina Swan-Mills. Forever.”

The End


End file.
